Puri: Devotees at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri faced disruption in darshan this evening after bloodstains were discovered inside the sacred premises, prompting the temple administration to conduct a Bada Mahasnan (grand purification ritual).
The stains were noticed in the Bhitarakatha area of the temple. Following tradition, darshan for devotees was suspended for about one to one-and-a-half hours to complete the purification process before resuming rituals.
This is the fifth such incident reported this year. Earlier instances of bloodstains inside the 12th-century shrine were recorded on February 16, March 6, April 21, and May 26. On all those occasions, temple authorities carried out Bada Mahasnan before reopening the sanctum for devotees.
Repeated occurrences of such incidents during darshan have raised concerns among devotees and temple authorities alike, though the exact reasons behind the appearance of the stains remain unclear.
The Shree Jagannath Temple, one of the most revered Hindu shrines and attracts lakhs of devotees each year, with any disruption in rituals evoking deep public interest.
