Puri: The annual Anasara rituals at the Shree Jagannath Temple entered their fifth day on Saturday with the observance of the traditional Phuluri Tela Seva, during which a specially prepared medicinal oil was ceremonially applied to the bodies of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra as part of their ritual convalescence.
According to temple tradition, the sibling deities remain in seclusion for a fortnight following the Snana Yatra, when they are ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers of scented water. Devotees believe the elaborate bathing ritual causes the deities to develop fever, prompting a period of confidential healing known as Anasara, during which public darshan remains suspended.
As part of the Panchami rituals, the aromatic Phuluri Tela prepared by the Bada Odia Mutt was brought to the temple after the Madhyanna Dhupa ritual. During evening, Daitapati servitors, who alone perform the confidential services during Anasara, applied the medicated oil to the wooden deities inside the secluded Anasara chamber.
The Phuluri Tela Seva is regarded as one of the most significant healing rituals performed during the deities’ period of seclusion. Temple tradition attributes the continuation of this service to the reign of Raja Pratap Deb, with the Bada Odia Mutt maintaining the responsibility of preparing and supplying the sacred oil every year.
The oil is formulated using cold-pressed sesame oil blended with nearly 27 natural ingredients, including fragrant flowers such as ketaki, juhi, jai, malati and bakula, along with Krushnabhog rice, bena root and several medicinal herbs traditionally valued in Ayurveda, including sandalwood, turmeric, nutmeg and other herbal ingredients.
After preparation, the mixture is sealed in earthen pots and left to mature for more than a year. The oil used during this year’s Anasara Panchami was prepared on Hera Panchami during last year’s Rath Yatra, while a fresh batch to be prepared during this year’s Hera Panchami will be preserved for use during the Anasara rituals next year.
The healing practices observed during Anasara are closely associated with classical Ayurvedic principles. Temple scholars describe the rituals as reflecting both external therapeutic treatment through medicated oil application and the concept of Kuti Pravesha—a restorative regimen performed in a secluded, enclosed chamber. During the period of seclusion, the deities remain inside the Anasara house, adorned in white garments and flowers, receiving ritual care under the light of oil lamps.
The Daitapati servitors, who are traditionally regarded as the custodians of the deities during Anasara, conduct all the confidential rituals, including the application of the medicated oil and subsequent administration of sacred herbal preparations, symbolising the gradual recovery of the deities before they reappear before devotees in renewed youthful form during Nabajouban Darshan.
The annual Phuluri Tela Seva continues to represent a unique blend of Jagannath culture, temple tradition and Odisha’s enduring Ayurvedic heritage, preserving a centuries-old ritual that symbolically mirrors the cycle of illness, healing and rejuvenation in the divine human-like leela of Lord Jagannath and the sibling deities.
