Puri Jagannath Temple's Snana Yatra draws lakhs of devotees

On June 28‑29 2026, the annual Snana Yatra (Snana Purnima) began at the 12th‑century Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. The three deities—Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra—were taken out of the sanctum in a Pahandi procession and bathed on the Snana Mandap with 108 pitchers of water drawn from the temple’s golden well, mixed with sandalwood paste, camphor and herbs.

The ritual was followed by dressing the deities in Gaja/Hati Besha (elephant attire) and a ceremonial sweeping (Chhera Pahanra) performed by the titular Gajapati Maharaja. After the bath the deities were placed in the Anasara Ghar for a 14‑15‑day period regarded as a time of “illness” before public darshan resumes for the Rath Yatra.

Authorities deployed extensive security and crowd‑management measures: about 80 platoons of police (including 79 platoons noted by officials), quick‑action teams, sniffer‑dog squads, rooftop surveillance, an integrated command‑and‑control centre, and more than 400 CCTV cameras. Designated entry and exit gates, traffic diversions and medical‑aid stations were set up to handle the expected lakhs of pilgrims.