Devotees gathered at Adapa Mandapa in Puri on Thursday for this year's final darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Maa Subhadra ahead of the Bahuda Yatra scheduled for July 24, with Odisha Police putting in place multi-level security arrangements.
Central Range Inspector General of Police (IGP) Satyajit Naik said multi-layer security arrangements had been made to ensure the smooth conduct of darshan and crowd regulation.
"We have ensured multi-layer security arrangements as today is the last darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Maa Subhadra at Adapa Mandapa, which is evening darshan. There is a huge crowd of devotees," Naik said.
He said darshan commenced at 6 am and the Sandhya Darshan would conclude at 6 pm, as notified by the temple administration, to facilitate preparations for the Bahuda Yatra.
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Naik said security arrangements had been made for both Thursday and the Bahuda Yatra on Friday. He added that zig-zag barricading had been put in place and separate entry and exit gates had been designated for devotees visiting the temple.
The IGP further said that 50 platoons of forces had been deployed for the occasion and that the temple premises had been divided into various sectors, each headed by supervising police officers, to ensure effective crowd management.
Meanwhile, Poda Pitha, a traditional delicacy deeply associated with devotion and motherly love, as part of the rituals associated with the Bahuda Yatra, is offered as bhog to Lord Jagannath when the three chariots pass the Mausi Maa Temple on Bada Danda. The offering is considered a symbol of affection and reverence during the return journey of the deities.
According to the Skanda Purana, during the great deluge at the beginning of creation, Maa Mausi Maa consumed half of the rising waters. As she absorbed the waters of the deluge, she came to be known as Ardhashini. It is also believed that, by residing on the banks of the Malini River, which once flowed along the Bada Danda, she prevented floodwaters from entering the Kshetra and protected the holy place. This belief is also associated with the meaning of the name Ardhashini.
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