Pankoddhar Ekadashi in Lokanath Temple Today

Puri: The Pankoddhar Ekadashi ritual was held in the famous Lokanath temple in Puri of Odisha today. This is the day of the year when devotees get chance to enter into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple as the flowers, betel leaves, milk, bananas, curd, gold, silver covered on the Shiva Linga throughout the year is removed on this day.

No other Lord Shiva temple in India has such special Pankoddhar ritual. A special Pankoddhar ritual is performed before Mahashivaratri in the Shree Lokanath temple in Puri.

Pankoddhar Ekadashi in Shree Lokanath temple in Puri is all about removing of the holy ‘panka’ covered on the Shiva Linga that gets deposited by offering the flowers, betel leaves, milk, bananas, curd, gold, silver etc. In this temple, these offered things are kept for the whole year and only removed on Pankoddhar Ekadashi.

The Jagatmangal lamp will be lit for three days from today until Mahashivaratri. In addition, the district administration has arranged barricades for the darshan of the devotees keeping in mind the security.

Yesterday, the temple doors were opened at 12:30 am, Mangalaalati and Abakash were performed at 1:15 am. Then the Sakaladhupa followed by Madhyanha Dhupa rituals were performed in between 1.45 am to 3 am.

Later, the Pankodhara was performed between 4 am and 8 am and the Magha Snana ritual was performed.

The public darshan will start from 12 pm to 10 pm which will be followed by other rituals. Then the Badasinghar Besha will be held, the servitors of the temple said.

Meanwhile, 4,000 tickets have been sold for Pankodhara Ekadashi and 6,000 tickets for special darshan on Jagar Yatra.