Puri is preparing for the annual Deba Snana Purnima, also known as Snana Yatra, a major ritual that precedes the Rath Yatra. During the festival, the sibling deities—Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra—will be ceremonially bathed on the Snana Mandap before appearing in the revered Hati Besha (elephant attire).
Celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha, Snana Yatra marks the first public appearance of the deities outside the sanctum sanctorum of the Shree Jagannath Temple each year. The festival will be observed on June 29 this year, around fifteen days before the Rath Yatra.
