Bhubaneswar: General darshan and Gopala Ballabh ritual at Shree Jagannath Temple were delayed by one hour in the morning on Sunday after blood stains were spotted near the Beharana Dwara of the 12th-century shrine in Puri.
Servitors spotted the blood stain near ‘Bhitar Katha’ during Abakash, Mailam, and Tadaplagi rituals. After detecting the blood, servitors performed the ‘maha Snana’ ritual to purify the temple.
The Maha Snan ritual resulted in a delay of other rituals. It is not clearly known where the blood spatter came from. The Gopal Ballabh ritual was performed after the temple underwent a ceremonial purification. The Beharana Dwar was cleansed with water and lime, during which devotees were barred from darshan.
The Maha Snana ritual is performed if a child passes urine inside the temple, if anyone vomits inside the temple, if blood stains are spotted inside the temple, if an animal dies inside the Srimandir, or if a person dies on the temple premises.