Gahana Bije () is the ceremonial visit which is done by once in a generation of the Gajapati Queens of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

where they do special Puja to Lord

Jagannatha Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

Ceremony

The ceremony includes many restrictions inside the

Jagannath Temple, Puri The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt f ...

. The queen can have darshan of the Lord as much as she can but she can perform ritual only once in her lifetime At that time, all the aged priests and public should vacate the temple, and only one Brahmin boy and two Brahmin married ladies should accompany the queen to the

sanctum sanctorum The Latin phrase ''sanctum sanctorum'' is a translation of the Hebrew term ''קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים'' (Qṓḏeš HaQŏḏāšîm), literally meaning Holy of Holies, which generally refers in Latin texts to the holiest place of th ...

. Then all other princely states of

are invited to be present in

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

. The queen comes in a closed palanquin so that no body can witness her. Processions and martial arts are also performed before the palanquin. After coming to temple, all the gates are closed and queen makes special Puja to the sibling deities. Finally she is accompanied by His Highness Gajapati Maharaja to the Royal Palace.

History

Last time in 2007 the present queen of Gajapati Shri Dibyasingha Deba, Maharani Leelabati Pattamahadei at the age of 51 came for such Gahana Bije. In 1966 her mother-in-law Maharani Surjyamani Pattamahadei had her Gahana Bije on 26 October 1966. and on 18 September 1933 the then queen Chandramani Pattamahadei had visited the temple for Gahana Bije.

References

{{Jagannath Jagannath Odia culture