Odisha: Twelve-day Deities return to Srimandir in Niladri Bije as Rath Yatra comes to an end

The twelve-day yearly trip of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra came to a close on Saturday with the conclusion of the Niladri Bije rite. The legendary Rathyatra began on June 20 and ended on June 28 with a return vehicle festival.

The heavenly love and devotion between Lord Jagannath and His wife Goddess Laxmi is the major focus of the Niladri Bije ceremony. For Lord Jagannath, the Niladri Bije was not a pleasant experience. Goddess Laxmi was displeased because she couldn’t enter the Gundicha shrine. She thus provided permission for Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra, and Lord Sudarshana to enter the temple, but when Lord Jagannath attempted to do so, she instructed her servants to shut the Jaya Vijaya entrance of the Singhadwar.

Goddess Lakshmi was upset because Lord Jagannath did not bring her on the yearly journey. The Devadasi (women servants) representing Lakshmi and Badagrahi Daitas and other Daitapatis representing Lord Jagannath engage in verbal combat.
Lord Jagannath later promises Goddess Lakshmi that He won’t do it again. Goddess Laxmi then commands the Jaya-Bijay doors to be opened for Him. Finally, Goddess Lakshmi turns her head to the south as they both exchange glances. The wedding knot is undone by the Bhittarchha servitors, who then present Bandapana. Lord Jagannath presents Rasagolas to Goddess Laxmi in an effort to appease His better half.

Suna Bhesha or Rajrajeswari Bhesh was conducted on June 29. The Adhara Pana rite, in which the deities were presented with a specific pana on their individual chariots, is followed by Niladri Bije. After completing the “Sodosha Upachar Pooja” on Friday, the temple servants gave the beverage to the Trinity in long clay pitchers.

The pots were stored so they wouldn’t come in contact with the gods’ lips. Late in the evening, just after the offering, the clay pots atop the chariots cracked, dumping the whole wine over the platform. These pots were destroyed in order to free the imprisoned bad spirits, souls, and other unseen creatures.
On the last day, Saturday, Lord Jagannath presented the Goddess Rasagulla, and she let him enter the temple as a regular person.