Snana Yatra (Deba Snana Purnima)

Snana Yatra (ସ୍ନାନ ଯାତ୍ରା), popularly called Deba Snana Purnima, is the bathing festival of the deities of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, held on Jyeshtha Purnima, the full moon of the month of Jyeshtha. On this day Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are carried out of the sanctum to an open platform, bathed with 108 pots of water drawn from the temple's golden well, and dressed in the elephant-form Hati Besha, in full view of lakhs of devotees.

Significance

The Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration describes Snana Purnima as the first occasion in the year when the wooden images of the three principal deities are brought out of the sanctum in procession and placed on the Snana Vedi (bathing platform). It is therefore one of the few days when devotees who cannot enter the temple can see the deities, and it opens the sequence of rituals that leads to the Ratha Yatra.

According to tradition, recorded in the Skanda Purana, the bathing ceremony was instituted by the legendary King Indradyumna when he first installed the deities in Puri.

Rituals of Snana Purnima

Pahandi to the bathing platform

In the early hours of the day, the deities are carried in pahandi, the swaying ceremonial procession used at Ratha Yatra, from the sanctum to the Snana Mandapa, the bathing platform, where the waiting crowds can see them. ETV Bharat described the 2026 procession moving amid Vedic chanting, conch shells and cymbals.

The bath with 108 pots

The deities are then bathed with 108 pitchers of water drawn from the Suna Kua (golden well) within the temple complex. The water is purified with mantras and mixed with fragrant materials such as sandalwood and camphor before the bath.

Chhera Pahanra

After the bath, the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, the titular king of Puri, performs Chhera Pahanra, ritually sweeping the platform. In 2026 the ritual was performed by Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb. The same ceremony is performed on the chariots at Ratha Yatra.

Hati Besha (Gaja Besha)

After the bath, Jagannath and Balabhadra are dressed in Hati Besha, elephant-head attire that makes them resemble Ganesha. The temple administration notes this elephant form as a distinctive feature of the day.

Anasara: the deities' seclusion

After Snana Purnima the deities are believed to fall ill from the long bath and are moved out of public view for about two weeks. This period is called Anasara (also Anabasara). During Anasara, the public worships three painted images known as Anasara Pati, made in the Pattachitra tradition of Puri, which show the deities in alternative divine forms. The deities reappear to the public at the Nabajaubana Darshan ("youthful appearance") shortly before Ratha Yatra.

Where and how is it celebrated?

The main celebration is at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, which draws lakhs of devotees; in 2026 ETV Bharat reported that about 80 platoons of police were deployed. For visiting information, see the Puri travel guide, and for the temple, Jagannath Temple, Puri.

Food associated with Snana Yatra

Snana Yatra is a temple ritual rather than a household feast, and the sources consulted do not name a festival dish. Devotees in Puri take the temple's Mahaprasad.

When is Snana Yatra?

Snana Yatra falls on Jyeshtha Purnima, usually in June, and comes roughly two weeks before Ratha Yatra (Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya).

Related on Odiapedia

• Ratha Yatra, the chariot festival that follows Anasara
• Chandan Yatra, the temple's earlier summer festival
• Nabakalebara, the renewal of the wooden deities
• Pattachitra, the painting tradition of the Anasara Pati