Bhubaneswar: The Holy Trinity Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra have fallen sick after taking bath with 108 pitchers of herbal and aromatic water on the day of Snana Purnima.
As the deities are struggling to recover from their fever and weakness, the temple servitors will begin the special Phuluri Tela seva today. Phuluri Tela is a unique oil applied to the deities for their early recuperation. The oil is applied to the deities during the recuperation period, which is known as Anasara.
Bada Odia Mutt supplies Phuluri Tela for the deities every year.
Made of flowers such as Ketaki, Malli, Boula and Champa, roots, sandalwood powder, camphor, rice, grains and sesame oil, the oil is prepared on the fifth day of the annual Rath Yatra festival when Hera Panchami ritual is observed but the oil is applied on the idols during the hibernation in the next year. This year the treatment with the oil began on Thursday.
Talking about the preparation of Phuluri oil, a Bada Odia Mutt member said, “This special oil has already been prepared on Hera Panchami day last year and will be applied to the bodies of idols today. Apart from Phuluri tela, medicinal lotions are also being applied for the recovery of the deities under Osa lagi ritual.”
He further added: “It is just merely impossible to make Phuluri oil without sesame oil. You can that say sesame oil is the key ingredient for making Phuluri oil. Phuluri Tela is kept in an earthen pot following the mixture of all the ingredients.”
