Healing Jagannath & Siblings

Healing Jagannath & Siblings: Phuluri Tela Seba & 75% Chariot Work Complete Today 

Puri: Treatment of sibling deities is underway at Anasara Ghar (an asylum for the sick) at Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, The triad fell ill after the elaborate bath with 108 pitchers of herbal and aromatic water on June 24.

As a part of the treatment, Phuluri Tela (Oil) will be applied to the whole body of the idols by Daitapati Sevayats (servitors) after Madhyana (midday) Dhupa on Tuesday.

The special Phuluri Tela Seva is a unique healing method to cure the deities effectively.

Bada Odia Mutt, which is the Adi Pitha of Atibadi Jagannath Das, supplies Phuluri Tela for the deities. The oil is made using flowers such as Ketaki, Malli, Boula, and Champa, roots, sandalwood powder, camphor, rice, and grains. The main ingredient is Sesame oil.

This special oil is prepared on Hera Panchami — the fifth day of the rath yatra festival — to be applied on the idols during the following year’s hibernation.

“Phuluri Tela is applied to the Lords on Ashtami, the fifth day of the Anasara period, as they continue to suffer from fever. This oil protects the idols from moths and insects. All rituals are being held in time,” said senior Daitapati Binayak Dasmohapatra.

During these fifteen days, the Lords are offered fruit juices and medicines made of indigenous herbs and roots. Other medicinal lotions are also being applied for the recovery of the deities under the Osa lagi ritual. The sevayats renovate and repaint the deities with natural paints that need about 15 days to dry.

The deities are expected to recover and be fit by July 11 following which they will be taken to the chariots for Rath Yatra.

Meanwhile, Rupakara Sevayats are busy constructing the three chariots of the presiding deities and are hopeful of finishing the work before time.

“We are doing Rishi Patta work now. The Rishis (sage) are the saviours of the chariot.  We hope the chariot work will be finished before time. As many as 30 Chitrakara Sevayats have been engaged in the painting work,” said a sevayat.

Puri Collector Samarth Verma said that all rituals after Snana Purnima and work for Rath Yatra are going on smoothly and 75 percent of chariot work has been completed. “Servitors are being administered the second dose of vaccine and we have set a target to complete the vaccination process before Rath Yatra. They will also undergo RTP-PCR tests and take part in the rituals only if the report is negative. A list of sevayats has been prepared for it. All guidelines issued by the SRC officer are being followed,” he said.

The servitors, who will be engaged in various rituals of the sibling deities during Rath Yatra, will undergo multiple rounds of the COVID-19 test.

According to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the testing will be done at four stages – before Snana Yatra, before Gundicha Yatra, before Bahuda Yatra, and 15 days after Niladri Bije.

In view of the COVID pandemic, the annual sojourn of the sibling deities will be held only on the Grand Road of Puri without devotees on July 12.

Indian Warrior Queen - Rani Sukadei

Indian Warrior Queen - Rani Sukadei

Rani Sukadei(1686 A.D. - 1726 A.D.) was an Indian warrior queen of the princely state of Banki, Odisha. She is known for her display of courage and bravery in the battles against Gajapati of Khurda and is regarded as the only undefeated warrior queen in Indian history.

Indian Warrior Queen - Rani Sukadei

Queen Sukadei was born in 1686 A.D to the king of Badamba(Cuttack), Odisha, Maharaj Balabhadra Bira Bara Mangraj and his queen Maharani Jayanta Debi. Rajkumari Sukadei during her childhood was very playful and inquisitive. One day while watching her brother, Rajkumar Fakir Chandra practice sword fighting, she expressed her desire to learn the same to her father. Maharaja agreed to it and arranged tutors to train Rajkumari Sukadei in sword fighting and teach her other warfare skills. Rajkumari Sukadei married the King of Banki(Cuttack), Odisha, Maharaja Dhananjay Trilokyanath Harichandan Deb. Their union strengthened the ties between the two princely states, Banki and Badamba nowadays in Cuttack. 

After marrying the King of Banki Princess becomes the Queen of the princely state of Banki, Odisha. After their marriage, Royal Couple visited the Jagannath temple at Puri for the blessing of Lord Jagannath.  when their on the way back to Banki, they were invited by the King of Khurda, Gajapati Gopinath Deva to his court. It is said that when the Raja and Rani paid a visit to Gajapati. Gajapati at Sukadei's first sight got attracted to her so much so that he planned an attack on Banki in order to woo her as soon as the King and Queen departed for Banki from Khurda.  

Raja Dhananjay refused to accede his kingdom to Khurda on Gajapati's demand, thus decided to fight a war with the Gajapati. Now both the army is ready for war at the battleground of Ragadigrama. The Battle of Ragadigrama is ready to witness a history that was going to be created for the first time in Odisha History. The combined armies of Badamba and Banki fought with the army of Khurda. As the army of Khurda is huge in size after the combination of both the army.  The Gajapati's army still outnumbered the combined armies of the defendants. Raja Dhananjay suffered huge losses at the hands of Gajapati. He was ultimately killed in the battle.

At the Battle of Ragadigrama - Rani Sukadei

When this news reached Sukadei it devastated her but then she got determined to protect her husband's kingdom. Only when the commanders of Banki had accepted defeat. Sukadei emerged and motivated the soldiers and commanders not to lose hope. She declared that the war is not over and she shall herself lead the army to the battleground. In the afternoon Sukadei marched with a troop of 700 soldiers towards the Gajapati's camp. Both the armies again met at Ragadigrama. Sukadei single-handedly killed several soldiers of the Gajapati's army. She challenged the Gajapati for a fight. Gajapati undermining her abilities stepped down from his horse to fight with her accepting her challenge. The valiant queen defeated the Gajapati and captured him, thus ending the war.

Now everyone is going to witness Rani Sukadei's Judgment, which she was supposed to give the next day. When everyone expected her to behead the Gajapati to seek revenge for her husband's death. Rani Sukadei surprised everyone when she came forward and forgave the Gajapati. She said that she being a widow knows the sufferings attached to the life of a widow, she would not let any other woman go through the same and thus let the Gajapati free. It is also said that because the Queen was an epitome of justice and peace, she forgave the Gajapati as she did not want to initiate a series of wars between Banki and Khurda that would continue for generations, only to seek vengeance, had she punished the Gajapati.

The Battle of Ragadigrama and wise Judgment has created another History in India. This made her the Indian Warrior Queen Rani Sukadei. Rani Sukadei dies at the middle age of her life in the year of 1726 A.D.