Panna (Madhya Pradesh): Lord Jagannath who protects every being and everything too falls ill. Amazing it may seem to be. Still, it happens in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district where Lord is worshipped and His Rath Yatra is taken out every year on the pattern of the Jagannath temple at Puri in Odisha. According to sources in the temple in Panna, Lord has been down with sunstroke for 15 days. Therefore, the doors of the temple have been closed to public, says a resident of Panna, Manish Mishra.
The Rath Yatra is being taken out in the district for thousands of years. Lord Jagannath, His sister Subhadra and brother Balram are worshiped in the temple as happens in Puri. The history of the Panna Jagannath temple is as old as that of the one in Puri. Just before the chariot festival, Lord has fallen ill because of sunstroke. It has happened when He was being bathed. The members of royal family in Panna remain present when Lord is bathed. After the royal bath, Lord’s chariot festival begins.
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Now that He is ill, His devotees are praying pray his health. When He falls ill, His statue is taken out of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He is bathed in Ayurvedic medicine-mixed water. Lord’s lifestyle and food are also changed till He remains ill. According to the priest of the temple Rakesh Goswami, Lord is also given Ayurvedic medicine daily. As long as he remains ill, the temple doors are closed to the devotees. The priest further says that Lord’s falling ill is part of the tradition.
