Puri: A day after Suna Besha, during the Rath Yatra, the three deities were offered the ‘Adharpana’, a sweet scented drink made of milk, sugar, banana, cheese, nuts, camphor, black pepper, and tulasi leaves etc.
‘Adhara’ connotes lips and ‘pana’ connotes drink. Nine large open mouth barrel shaped pitchers were filled with the concoction, three on each chariot. The pitchers have a height of one metre touching the lips of the Trinity on their respective chariots.
The priests performed the Sodosa Upachar Pooja through which the drink was offered to the Lords. Soon after the Puja, the earthen pots were broken by the servitors spilling the Adhar Pana all over the chariots.
According to a popular belief, many evil spirits, ghosts and dissatisfied souls trail the Holy Trinity during the Rath Yatra.
As this drink is very sacred and holy, the evil spirits can attain ‘mokshya’ by drinking this holy drink. Though this drink is basically not for the devotees, many collect it in earthen pots from below the raths.
After this final ritual of Rath Yatra outside Sri Mandir, the Lords are taken into the main temple the following night. They enter into the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple in a procession called Niladri Bije.
