Puri: Lakhs of devotees thronged this holy city to witness the Debabipabali ,the three day long festival of light celebrated in the Sri Jagannath temple that concluded on Thursday night.
The festival, which began on Tuesday, is being observed by lord Jagannath, his elder Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. The devotees witness lifting of Mahadeep to the temple
top and lighting of diyas atop temple “Amolaka” and display of fireworks which began with traditional fervour.
During these three days the deities make offerings to their late parents.
On the first day Lord Jagannath offered “Pinda” (obsequies) in favour of mythological king Indradyumna who established the lords in this temple and asked for a boon to end his dynasty so that none of his successive family members could claim the ownership of the temple.
The boon was granted by the Lord Jagannath who volunteered to offer Pinda to his ardent devotee Indradyumna.
On the second day as incarnation of Sri Ram, lord offered pinda to his father king Dashrath.On the second day as Krishna he also offered Pinda to parents Basudev and Devaki.
On the third day the Pinda was offered to his foster parents Nanda and Jashoda.
During these three days a set of complex rituals was observed and the deities were dressed in “shradha” vesha.
The temple was illuminated by a large number of “Diyas”. The servitors climbed to the top of the temple and lighted diyas which presented a spectacular look in the night.
Hundreds of devotees waited for hours in front of the temple since afternoon to witness the ceremony. Display of fireworks from the temple top was enjoyed by the devotees. The temple administration had taken special measures for completion of all the nitees and rituals of the lords in time.
Lakhs of devotees taste mahaprasad during these three days. A number of institutions staged bhajan recital programmes for the devotees on the concluding day on Thursday.
