Thousands throng Puri as Snana Yatra begins

Bhubaneswar: Thousands of devotees thronged the pilgrim city Puri in Odisha to catch a glimpse of Lord Jagannath and his siblings during the Snana Yatra (bathing ceremony) on Friday.

The deities reached the Snana Bedi (bathing pandal) amidst chanting of hymns and sound of ghantas (bells) in a procession called 'Pahandi'. 

The bathing ceremony of the Trinity (Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and their sister Subhadra) is celebrated on Snana Purnima -- the full moon day of Jyestha (month).

The devotees were not allowed to touch the deities during the rituals following the direction of the temple administration.

A three-tier security system was in place to ensure that the devotees have "darshan" only from a distance.

"We have put up posters at several places in the town to sensitize the people about not touching the deities. Besides, barricades have been put up to ensure that no devotee comes near the deities," said Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief Pradip Kumar Jena.

Soumendra Priyadarshi, IG (central range), said adequate security personnel has been deployed for the smooth conduct of the festival.