Snana Yatra ceremony at Hanuman Mandir
The Snana Yatra, or the auspicious Shower Ceremony of Lord Jagannath Parivaar, was celebrated on Saturday, 6th of June, 2015 at Hanuman Mandir, Alpharetta. This is a ritual where Lord Jagannath, and his siblings, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, take showers (or snana) and fall sick. This takes place on the full moon day of the Hindu month Jyestha. After the ceremony he gives darshan to devotees in Gaja Besha (form of Lord Ganesha).
Over 300 people thronged the vicinity of the Alpharetta Hanuman temple, which is the abode the Lord and his siblings. The weather was quite good. High spirited devotees lifted the deities en route to their snana ceremony. The rituals involve but are not limited to Goti Pahandi, where the deities are taken one after other with stops, where their fatigued bodies take rest (with the exception of Lord Sudarshana who goes directly to the mandap or pedestral). However there was hardly any sign of tiredness among the disciples. The clanking of brass bells and sirens from sankha (conch shell) acted as the harbinger of more ritual to follow. Bubbling with energy and enthusiasm, amongst incessant chants of mantras (hymns), every one pitched in, doing their part. Myriads of fruits, varieties of flowers, and hundreds of coconuts were offered as we mortals prayed for the blessings of the sibling trinity. It was excellent team work, from everybody, from the devotees to the priests, who played their respective roles to perfection.
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