Nimapada, July 5, 2026, (Ajaya Mallik): Following the grand bathing festival known as Snana Purnima, Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities traditionally fall "sick" with a fever. They rest in a special recovery room called the 'Anasara Pindi' inside the Puri temple. During this resting period, the priests do not offer them regular food. Instead, the deities only consume fruits, roots, and natural herbal medicines. 
To support this ancient tradition, devotees from the Prachi river valley sent a massive offering of fresh fruits to Puri. This year, the Charichhak Press Club actively joined the holy event. Members of the press club, along with hundreds of local citizens, gathered fresh fruits directly from the backyard gardens of the devotees.
They loaded the fruits, bright flowers, and holy basil leaves onto a traditional cart. To the sound of musical instruments and devotional singing, the cart began its journey toward Puri. On the seventh day of the resting period, devotees dispatched the first cart from the Deuli Matha. The next day, another group sent more fruits from the ancient Viswamitra Ashram. Saint Naga Ram Prit Das led a large group of singers during the journey.
Many local heritage centers participated in the event this year. These included the Astaranga Radhakanta Matha, Birsingh Gadi Pitha, Gautam Rishi Matha, and Gotirtha Matha.
Historically, the Prachi river region regularly supplied fresh fruits, herbal medicines, and special clothes for the temple. However, this practice stopped for many years after the Dasabatara Matha in Puri fell into ruin. In 1992, Pandit Trilochan Mishra and Dr. Santosh Kumar Mitra from the Prachi Culture Protection Council worked hard to restart this service. They also successfully revived several other ancient walking journeys and local festivals.
Despite the joy of the event, local residents expressed a deep concern. The historic Prachi river is drying up quickly and losing its natural water flow. Devotees worry that this environmental damage will hurt the local culture and disrupt future religious services.
The community urges the government to take immediate action. They suggest launching a special "Save Prachi" project, similar to the national project that cleans the Ganga river. They believe this step will protect the ancient heritage sites along the riverbanks.
Pandit Trilochan Mishra explained the final step of the fruit offering. He stated that once the cart reaches Puri, Mahant Sukh Ramdas Ji Maharaj of the Hati Akhada Matha takes responsibility. He makes all the final arrangements to safely deliver the fruits into the main Jagannath temple for the deities.
To support this ancient tradition, devotees from the Prachi river valley sent a massive offering of fresh fruits to Puri. This year, the Charichhak Press Club actively joined the holy event. Members of the press club, along with hundreds of local citizens, gathered fresh fruits directly from the backyard gardens of the devotees.
They loaded the fruits, bright flowers, and holy basil leaves onto a traditional cart. To the sound of musical instruments and devotional singing, the cart began its journey toward Puri. On the seventh day of the resting period, devotees dispatched the first cart from the Deuli Matha. The next day, another group sent more fruits from the ancient Viswamitra Ashram. Saint Naga Ram Prit Das led a large group of singers during the journey.
Many local heritage centers participated in the event this year. These included the Astaranga Radhakanta Matha, Birsingh Gadi Pitha, Gautam Rishi Matha, and Gotirtha Matha.
Historically, the Prachi river region regularly supplied fresh fruits, herbal medicines, and special clothes for the temple. However, this practice stopped for many years after the Dasabatara Matha in Puri fell into ruin. In 1992, Pandit Trilochan Mishra and Dr. Santosh Kumar Mitra from the Prachi Culture Protection Council worked hard to restart this service. They also successfully revived several other ancient walking journeys and local festivals.
Despite the joy of the event, local residents expressed a deep concern. The historic Prachi river is drying up quickly and losing its natural water flow. Devotees worry that this environmental damage will hurt the local culture and disrupt future religious services.
The community urges the government to take immediate action. They suggest launching a special "Save Prachi" project, similar to the national project that cleans the Ganga river. They believe this step will protect the ancient heritage sites along the riverbanks.
Pandit Trilochan Mishra explained the final step of the fruit offering. He stated that once the cart reaches Puri, Mahant Sukh Ramdas Ji Maharaj of the Hati Akhada Matha takes responsibility. He makes all the final arrangements to safely deliver the fruits into the main Jagannath temple for the deities.
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