International Shri Jagannath Day Celebrated at Puri Town Hall on the Occasion of Maha Vishuba Sankranti (Pana Sankranti)
On the auspicious occasion of Maha Vishuba Sankranti (Pana Sankranti), International Shri Jagannath Day was celebrated at the Town Hall in Puri on 14th April 2023. The event was jointly organized by the International Council for Education, Employment & Empowerment (IC3E.ORG) and the Institute of Digital Media Technology (IDMT.IN).
As part of the celebration, an audiovisual presentation depicting the 108 sacred names of Lord Jagannath, as described in scriptures, was unveiled. This presentation was produced by the Institute of Digital Media Technology, and the program was conducted under the leadership of its Director, Shri Pradeep Kumar Tripathy.
The event witnessed the presence of several eminent personalities from Odisha who are deeply associated with the culture and traditions of Lord Jagannath. Notable among them were Dr. Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher on Jagannath culture; Prof. Prafulla Mishra, Vice-Chancellor of Rajendra Agricultural University; Dr. Harihar Hota, former Vice-Chancellor; Shri Madhusudan Mishra, retired administrative officer; Shri Janardhan Patjoshi Mahapatra, the chief of Chhatisa Nijoga and a dedicated sevak of Lord Jagannath; senior servitor Shri Madhusudan Singhari; editor of Paika Nijoga Shri Neelamani Guru; Mahant of Gangaram Math Shri Balaram Das Goswami; researcher Dr. Bikash Kumar Prasad; Commander of Jagannath Sena Shri Priyadarshi Pattnaik; Jagannath culture researcher Shri Guru Charan Das; senior journalist Shri Samarendra Raut; and researcher and author Shrutakirti Tripathy. Many working servitors of the Shri Mandir also joined in the celebration.
Lord Shri Jagannath, the eternal Lord of the countless universes, was worshipped with great devotion. As per the Neeladri Mahodaya scriptures, Lord Jagannath received the ceremonial Maha Snana (holy bath), application of sandalwood paste, was adorned in new attire, and offered various traditional delicacies like pithas and pana after the morning incense ritual.
Every Odia household celebrated the new year by offering heartfelt prayers and devotion to idols or images of Lord Jagannath, seeking blessings for happiness and prosperity. According to the Skanda Purana, the Lord values sincere devotion from his devotees more than grand offerings. Therefore, distributing Mahaprasad to the poor and neglected devotees on this day is considered an act of great spiritual merit.
All devotees of Lord Jagannath are encouraged to observe Maha Vishuba Sankranti every year as “Jai Shri Jagannath Day,” to receive the Lord’s boundless grace. The joint initiative by IC3E and IDMT to spread the compassion and divine glory of Mahaprabhu globally is highly commendable. The appeal to recognize Odisha’s New Year, Maha Vishuba Sankranti, as “International Jai Shri Jagannath Day” was strongly emphasized during the celebration.
The event was presided over by former Vice-Chancellor Dr. Harihar Hota. At the conclusion, all dignitaries and journalists were honored with ceremonial uttariyas. The chief guest of the celebration, Janardhan Pattajoshi Mahapatra, the chief of Chhatisa Nijoga, distributed sweets to the invited guests and devotees, adding to the spiritual joy of the occasion.
