Jagannath Rath Yatra 2023: Why Does Lord Jagannath Fall Sick Every Year? Know The Reason Behind It

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We are used to seeing humans getting sick, but do you know, according to certain stories and legends, Gods get ill too? There is a belief that Lord Jagannath becomes ill and gets treated for 15 days every year and the reason behind it is quite interesting.

Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri is a popular event and this year it will begin on 20 June 2023 and end on 1 July 2023. This religious event can be traced back to the 12th century and finds mention in Hindu sacred texts such as the Padma Purana, the Brahma Purana and the Skanda Purana.

Why Does Lord Jagannath Falls Sick Every Year?

According to a legend, Lord Jagannath falls ill every 15 days and there are numerous mythological stories around it. On the full moon day of the Jyestha month, Lord Jagannath, sister Subhadra and elder brother Balabhadra are brought out of the temple and given a holy bath in cold water on snana yatra day. Due to this, Lord Jagannath he catches fever and stays in his bedroom for 15 days in a resting posture.

Special care is taken of the lord by giving them medicines and simple food like khichdi, etc, is offered during this time. For 15 days he is given only decoction and fruit juice and sweet milk is offered to him before going to sleep as well. A Cool paste is also applied to the deity for the whole 15 days.

During this phase, devotees can neither ring bell in the temple nor they are allowed to have a darshan of the deities. Only his personal servants and Raj Vaidya (royal physician) can enter the sick room, where he remains in quarantine for 14 days. This is called the Anasara period.

Due to this, the Lord is not placed at the altar and it becomes unbearable for the devotees. According to a text, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Lord Chaitanya would visit the temple on a daily basis to see Jagannath and during the Anasara period, he will feel a great separation from the Lord. Not being to see the lord he would feel sad and cry over and over again and would leave Jagannath Puri and go to Alalanatha.

As Lord Jagannath is bathed with 108 pitchers of water, his colour fades out and he becomes dull, so he gets a fresh coating of colour. Along with him Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are also repainted. Due to proper medicines and rest, Lord Jagannath regains his health and recovers completely on the 15th day. Therefore, he appears in front of the devotees which is known as the Netrotsava festival.

There is a belief that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu along with his followers would spend hours seeing Lord Jagannath on Netrotsava day and this celebration is followed by the Rath Yatra, which is popular across India and gathers huge footfall from across the globe.