Lord Jagannath's bathing rituals begin at temples in Bengal's Digha, Mahesh

Kolkata, Jun 11 (PTI) The sacred 'Snan Yatra' festival commenced on Wednesday at the newly built Jagannath temple at Digha in Purba Medinipur district and Mahesh in Hooghly district of West Bengal, marking the beginning of rituals ahead of the annual Rath Yatra.

This year's Rath Yatra festival is scheduled on June 27.

Digha’s Jagannath temple was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 30.

The 'Snan Yatra' also started at Mahesh, the site of the oldest Jagannath temple in the state.

Hundreds of devotees gathered at both locations to witness Lord Jagannath’s ceremonial bathing rituals.

At Digha, the deities of Sri Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra will be ceremonially bathed with water collected from 108 sacred tirthas (pilgrimage sites) and other sacred substances, said ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das.

The state government has given ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) the responsibility of running the Digha Jagannath temple.

Das said Banerjee has sent mangoes and jackfruits from trees of her Kolkata residence as offerings on the occasion. PTI AMR MNB