What Is Snana Purnima, The Sacred Bath Ritual Before Jagannath Rath Yatra

Snana Purnima 2024: This event, held on the full moon day of the Jyestha month, is an important precursor to the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra.

Snana Purnima is the ceremonial bathing of the deities Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. This event, held on the full moon day of the Jyestha month, is an important precursor to the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra.

The rituals

On Snana Purnima, the deities are brought out from the sanctum sanctorum to the Snana Mandap, an elevated platform facing the main street, in a grand procession called ‘Pahandi'. After the ‘Mangal Arati', the deities are prepared for the ritualistic bath. They are adorned with ‘Senapatta', a special body armour made from ‘Baula' wood, by the Daitapatis (special priests who are descendants of the original tribal worshippers) who take charge of the regular priests the previous night.