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, written by

Balarama Dasa ''Krupasiddha'' Balarama Dasa (alternatively spelled ''Balaram Das''; ; ) was a mystic seer-poet who wrote in Odia, best known as the author of the voluminous ''Jagamohana Ramayana'' or ''Dandi Ramayana''. He was one of the five great poets in Odi ...

, it is said that if one is capable, one should

fast Fast or FAST may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Fast" (Juice Wrld song), 2019 * "Fast" (Luke Bryan song), 2016 * "Fast" (Sueco song), 2019 * "Fast" (GloToven song), 2019 * ''Fast'', an album by Custom, 2002 * ''Fast'', a 2010 short fil ...

from certain foods on the ''Bhishma Panchaka'' for the pleasure of the

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

. The

Padma Purana The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...

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. Sanda ...

paste,

jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

flowers and malati flowers.

Rituals in Jagannath Temple

The main temple at

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, 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 ca ...

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

, 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