Snana Yatra 2025: Puri Jagannath Temple gears up for bathing festival on Monday
Synopsis
Puri's Jagannath Temple readies for Snana Yatra — one of its most sacred annual rituals — with 80 police platoons, ICCC surveillance, and marine security in place. The 108-pitcher bathing of the holy triad on Monday will be followed by 15 days of deity seclusion before the Ratha Yatra, marking the start of Puri's peak religious season.
Key Takeaways
Snana Yatra 2025 will be held on Monday, 30 June at the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha .
The holy triad — Lord Jagannath , Lord Balabhadra , and Devi Subhadra — will be bathed with 108 pitchers of sacred water between 12 noon and 2 pm .
After the ritual, the deities will enter 15 days of seclusion in the Anasara Gruha before the Ratha Yatra .
Around 80 platoons of police, including QATs , sniffer dog squads, and ICCC monitoring, have been deployed for crowd and security management.
Dedicated facilities for senior citizens , women , children , and Divyang devotees will remain operational throughout the festival.
The ancient coastal town of Puri is fully prepared to host the annual Snana Yatra — the sacred bathing festival of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra — on Monday, 30 June 2025, with the district administration and police deploying extensive security and crowd-management measures at the 12th-century Jagannath Temple. Lakhs of devotees from across Odisha and the country are expected to converge on Puri to witness the divine spectacle.
What is Snana Yatra
Also known as Deva Snana Purnima, the festival marks the birthday celebration of the holy triad and is observed on the full moon day of the Jyestha month of the Hindu almanac, typically falling in May or June. It is considered one of the most significant annual rituals of the Jagannath Temple tradition, drawing pilgrims from across India.
During the ritual, the deities are brought to the Snana Vedi Mandap (bathing platform) from their sanctum sanctorum in a ceremonial procession called Pahandi Bije. Servitors then pour 108 pitchers of water infused with sandalwood paste, camphor, and other sacred substances over the deities. Following the bath, the siblings are adorned with elephant masks in a ritual known as Gajanana Besha.
Schedule and Ritual Timeline
According to the schedule released by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the holy triad will be brought out of the sanctum sanctorum between 5 am and 7 am on Monday. The bathing ritual is scheduled to be completed between 12 noon and 2 pm.
After the Snana Yatra concludes, the deities will be moved to the Anasara Gruha — an isolation chamber within the temple — where they will remain for 15 days until the commencement of the Ratha Yatra. This period of seclusion is a deeply held part of the temple's ritual calendar.
Security Deployment and Crowd Management
Around 80 platoons of police personnel will be deployed inside and around the Jagannath Temple and at strategic locations across Puri to manage traffic and crowd movement. According to Odisha Police, the deployment includes four Commandants/SP-rank officers, 14 Additional SPs/Deputy Commandants, 31 DSPs/Assistant Commandants, 83 Inspectors/Sub-Inspectors, and 340 SIs/ASIs, supported by specialised units.
Advanced security measures are also in place, including Quick Action Teams (QATs), sniffer dog squads, rooftop surveillance, Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) monitoring, anti-sabotage checks, and marine security arrangements along the coast.
Facilities for Devotees
Help desks, Police Control Rooms (PCRs), medical assistance centres, and dedicated support facilities for senior citizens, women, children, and Divyang devotees will remain operational throughout the festival. The Puri district administration, along with health and fire services departments, has coordinated to ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of the event.
With the Ratha Yatra to follow in a fortnight, the Snana Yatra marks the formal beginning of Puri's most celebrated religious season of the year.
Point of View
Yet it is the ritual that formally opens Puri's sacred season — and the logistical scale this year, with 80 police platoons and ICCC surveillance, reflects how seriously the Odisha administration treats crowd safety after past stampede incidents at large temple festivals. The 15-day Anasara seclusion that follows is also theologically significant: it is the only period when the deities are inaccessible to devotees, making the Snana Yatra the last public darshan before the Ratha Yatra. Coverage that treats this purely as a crowd-management story misses the ritual depth that draws pilgrims in the first place.
NationPress
29 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Snana Yatra at Puri Jagannath Temple?
Snana Yatra, also called Deva Snana Purnima, is the annual bathing festival of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra at the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri. Observed on the full moon day of the Jyestha month, it marks the birthday of the deities and involves a ritual bath with 108 pitchers of sacred water.
When is Snana Yatra 2025 and what is the schedule?
Snana Yatra 2025 falls on Monday, 30 June. The deities will be brought out of the sanctum sanctorum between 5 am and 7 am, and the bathing ritual is scheduled between 12 noon and 2 pm, according to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
What happens after the Snana Yatra ritual?
After the bathing festival, the deities are moved to the Anasara Gruha — an isolation chamber inside the temple — where they remain for 15 days. They re-emerge for the Ratha Yatra, one of India's largest religious processions.
What security arrangements have been made for Snana Yatra 2025?
Around 80 platoons of police have been deployed, including four Commandants/SP-rank officers, Quick Action Teams, sniffer dog squads, rooftop surveillance, ICCC monitoring, anti-sabotage checks, and marine security. Help desks and medical centres will also be operational for devotees.
What is the Gajanana Besha ritual during Snana Yatra?
Gajanana Besha is a ritual performed after the bathing ceremony in which the deities are adorned with elephant masks. It is one of the distinctive visual elements of the Snana Yatra and is considered an auspicious form of the holy triad.
