23:28
The Jagannath temple in Puri will be closed for five hours on Friday for a special ritual on the occasion of Janmashtami when the Lord, assuming a maternal persona, will give birth to Sri Krishna.
The temple authorities said in a statement on Thursday that public darshan will remain suspended from 7 pm to 12 midnight on September 4.
On the eve of that, Lord Jagannath is offered 'Jeuta Bhog', a special medicinal food meant for reducing labour pain, according to an expert.
Lord Jagannath is considered the mother of all 10 'avtars' of Lord Vishnu, including Sri Krishna, Sri Ram and Lord Balaram, according to a scholar.
"The Lord is offered Jeuta Bhog the night before Sri Ram Navami and also on the eve of Janmashtami. He is worshipped as the Maha Vishnu, the Supreme Lord," said Dr Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in Shree Jagannath culture.
Mishra said the Jeuta Bhog is offered before the main doors of the temple are closed at night.
"A special aarti is also performed to Lord Jagannath after the offering of Jeuta Bhog, as He is pregnant with Sri Krishna," said Pandit Suryanarayan Rathsharma, an authority in Jagannath culture. -- PTI
