Snana Yatra (स्नान यात्रा)

Snana Yatra which is also known as Devasnana Purnima or Snana Purnima. This yatra is a ceremonial grand bathing festival of Bhagwan Jagannath celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month Jyeshtha.❀ This is the first occasion of the year as per the Hindu calendar, when Bhagwan Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, Sudarshan and Madanmohan are taken out of the Puri Jagannath temple sanctum to the Snana mandap inside the temple complex.

❀ The Lord is ceremoniously bathed with 108 silver pots of pure water and decorated for the public audience..

❀ In the evening, at the conclusion of the bathing ritual, Jagannath and Balabhadra are decorated in the guise of Bhagwan Ganesha. This form of Bhagwan is called 'Gajanan Besh'.

Traditionally it is believed that the Bhagwan falls ill after the Snana Yatra and is kept in the sick room to recuperate in solitude under the care of the Raj Vaidya. The deity gets cured in a fortnight with the Ayurvedic medicine given by Raj Vaidya.