PURI-The last week of the ongoing auspicious month of Kartik has witnessed more devotees flocking to the holy city to observe Panchuka, considered as the holiest days of the Hindu calendar.
Lord Jagannath takes new attire (bhesas) on each day till the conclusion of the brata on the eve of Kartik Purnima. Devotees before the end of their brata visit the Pancha Teerth located around the city and take a holy dip in Mahodadhi Teerth (a portion of the sacred sea) and offer prayers to the Sun God and Lord Jagannath for salvation.
“This is the most sought-after place to attain salvation and the right time to consummate all religious activities,” said one amongst the scores of white-robed, frail-looking widows, mostly in their seventies, who congregate in lakhs at the holy Sri Kshetra Dham to observe the month-long Kartika Brata which kicks off from Kumar Purnima.
As per religious texts, one who observes this sacred brata in Puri attains salvation, which is the ultimate destination. Every year widows come to this city from various parts of the State, particularly from Ganjam, Gajapati, Bhanjnagar and other southern districts besides Chhattisgarh and Midnapore, to observe the brata ceremoniously.
Almost all mathas, dharmasalas and low-cost accommodations of Puri get full with pious devotees. House rents around the temple town go up during this month. Many of them share small rooms on rent while some trace houses of near and distant relatives for accommodation. They take sankalpa (religious vow) in a small ceremony to observe brata with devotion.
Braving the cold and inclement weather these old and emaciated widows rise early in the morning, finish their daily chores and take a holy dip in one of the four sacred tanks namely Narendra, Indradumna, Swetaganga and Markanda of the city.
They deck sandalwood tilak on their forehead and make a beeline in front of the Jagannath temple to witness mangala arti. Considering the huge rush of widow devotees to Puri to observe Kartika Brata, this could well be imagined how Kartika and Puri go in tandem. Devotees also express an unabated interest to solemnise any type of religious activities in the Lord’s abode.
Malati Bewa, a 78-year-old widow from Aska said, “I come here every year to observe the brata after my husband died in a road accident when I was 40 years old. I get mental peace and solace by observing the auspicious brata in Sri Kshetra.” Many others belonging to her village also accompany her every year.
While observing the month-long arduous Kartika Brata devoutly, they take all pains to make it a fruitful one. They don’t bother for the dilapidated mathas and dharmasalas or the exorbitant price of vegetables and observe the brata with strong determination. Some hapless and poor widows even don’t mind to sleep in the temple premises and take very little food suiting their standard of living. For Tulasi Devi from Cuttack, it was nearly a three months long tussle to collect money from her near and dear ones. “I even cannot think of terminating the brata in the wake of a possible financial crunch,” she said.
As per religious rituals, they install a chaura (Tulasi plant) called Brundabati in front of their accommodation to conduct religious practices in the morning. The bratadharis (vowed ones) use tulasi mala as necklace and for chanting sacred mantras especially the Hare Krishna mahamantra.
Prayers, chanting and clash of cymbals demonstrate a deep sense of devotion to Lord Jagannath. After returning from the temple, they recite the Kartik Mahatmya, a religious text, sitting around the chaura. They take cooked mahaprasad once in a day in the late evening before retiring to bed. Barring a few, most of these bratadharis hail from lower economic strata of the society and collect fund from family members and friends for the holy sojourn.
Rama Devi, an octogenarian widow with thick glasses and a wrinkled face with a bent spine, also observed the brata despite her physical constraints. She said that even her sons and grandsons opposed her from proceeding to Puri for the brata in view of her poor health. Since the last 30 years she has been coming to Puri to have a darshan of the Lord and observe the holy brata.
She prays the Lord to allow her to die in the sacred Sri Kshetra Dham and get cremated in the Swargadwar. Srinibas Mishra who gives religious discourses to the devotees in the temple premises during the holy month said that the bratadharis sit for hours together listening to the sermons of the text with rapt attention and pay him for his service.
Loknath Suar, a temple cook said that huge quantities of mahaprasad is cooked everyday and offered in bhands (special bhogs) in view of great demand among the widows. We have men called bojhias who carry mahaprasad on their head and deliver to the monthly enrolled devotees at minimum rate, he said.
The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration has rescheduled the various rites and rituals of Lord Jagannath to allow more time to devotees for darshan of the three deities. Offering of special bhog or cooked mahaprasad is allowed a number of times in order to provide the same to the devotees. Servitors are asked to work overtime while special attention is given to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the temple premises. Police arrangements have been beefed up in and around the temple on the eve of Kartik Purnima, sources said.
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