The hot pudding spilled and burnt the lord’s hands and face. Surprisingly, the blister marks are believed to be visible on the stone idol to date.
Why is Lord Alarnath darshan special during Anabasara?: During ‘Anabasara’ lord Jagannath with his siblings remains out of public view for 15 days after Snana Purnima. During this period, devotees seek the blessings of the deities at Alarnath Temple, a 13th-century shrine. As per belief, lord Jagannath manifests in the form of lord Alarnath in Brahmagiri, Odisha. Along with lord Alarnath, the devotees also offer prayers to lord Ananta Basudeb and Devi Bhubaneswari. Who are considered as the incarnations of lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.
It is believed that visiting Alarnath temple during the ‘Anabasara’ period brings the same fortune and well-being as darshan of the Holy Trinity in Puri Dham. Lord Alarnath, the standing idol of four-armed Lord Vishnu, is made of black chlorite.
According to a mythological story- long ago, a priest named Sri Ketan, who worshiped lord Alarnath, lived with his wife and son Madhu. One day, Sri Ketan had to travel to another village for some urgent work. So, he handed over his responsibility of serving food to lord Alarnath to his son Madhu. One day, he offered hot kheer to lord Alarnath with pure, simple faith. He said if you don’t accept the food, my father will be angry with me. Pleased with his devotion, the lord immediately accepted the offering. In his haste, the hot pudding spilled and burnt the lord’s hands and face. Surprisingly, the blister marks are believed to be visible on the stone idol to date.
Every year lakhs of devotees throng to Alarnath temple to seek his divine blessings during Anabasara period. Lord Alarnath’s favourite pudding ‘kheer’ is also available for around the year at the temple’s ‘Ananda Bazaar’.
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