Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Jul 16: 

On the last leg of Rath Yatra, lakhs of devotees today thronged Odisha’s Puri to witness the Adhara Pana ritual of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra on the chariots.

Adhara pana Jagannath Puri

As part of this custom, a sweetened drink(pana) made of milk, sugar, cheese, banana, camphor, nutmeg and black pepper among others, was offered to the Lords in huge earthen barrels measuring over a mitre each so that it can reach the lips (adhara) of the lords.

Three such barrels were placed in each of the three chariots. The pots were broken by the servitors on the chariots after the drink were offered to the Lords.

While Raghava Das Matha of Puri sponsored three such barrels for the Lords, another three barrels were sponsored by the Gajapati king of Puri and the remaining three were offered by the temple administration.

According to folklore, the Adhara Pana flowing down from the chariots is not to be consumed by the devotees as it is meant for the ghostly bodies travelling along the chariot in hopes of salvation.

Jagannath culture expert Pandit Surya Narayan Ratha Sharma, however, has a different explanation. "The Adhara Pana is meant for the gods and goddesses that traveled along the chariot during Rath Yatra to guard Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra," he says.

Rath Yatra will come to an end tomorrow as the Lords will be taken back to their seats named ‘Ratna Singhasana’ inside the Puri Jagannath temple in a procession named ‘Niladri Bije’.

Devotees will be able to pay obeisance to the lord inside the temple for the next 11 months until the next ‘Snana Purnima’ is held.