Panchaka is a Hindu festival; the last five days of the month of Kartika are traditionally known as the ''Bhishma Panchaka'' or the ''Vaka Panchaka''. According to the epic poem

Jagamohana Ramayana Jagamohana Ramayana ( or, ଜଗମୋହନ ରାମାୟଣ) also known as Dandi Ramayana popularly across Odisha is an epic poem composed by the 15th-century poet Balarama Dasa. This work is a retelling of the Ramayana though not a direct tra ...

, written by

Balarama Dasa Balarama Dasa (alternatively spelled ''Balaram Das''; ; ) was an Odia poet and litterateur An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for ...

, it is said that if one is capable, one should fast from certain foods on the ''Bhishma Panchaka'' for the pleasure of the

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

. The

Padma Purana The ''Padma Purana'' ( sa, पद्मपुराण or पाद्मपुराण, or ) is one of the eighteen Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Bra ...

say that one pleases

and makes spiritual advancement. Monrning of Danga Bhasa Purnima

Observances

Devotees may offer the following offerings to lord

: lotus flowers, Bengal quince leaves,

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

paste, jasmine flowers and malati flowers.

Rituals in Jagannath Temple

The main temple at

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 '' ...

becomes crowded as many people await various alankara of deities. Alankara like Dalakia vesha, Adakia Vesha, Laksmi Nrusingha Vesha, Trivikrama Vesha and finally on the day of

Kartik Purnima Kartika Purnima is a Hindu, Sikh and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on Purnima (full moon day), the 15th (or 30th) lunar day of the month of Kartika. It falls in November or December of the Gregorian calendar and is also known as ...

, the lord is decorated in Rajarajeswara Vesha, which draws over 100,000 people. More ''prasad'' (food offerings) are made in the temple to cope with the demand from Havishya ''vratis'' (widows staying for the month-long Kartika vrata in Puri).

References

External links

{{Jagannath Festivals in Jagannath Religious festivals in India Hindu festivals