Snanayatra Festival is associated with
Jagannath Temple at
Puri before the
Rath Yatra. It is held on Jyestha Purnima. The deities are bathed around mid-day pouring one hundred and eight pots of water brought from a sacred well, which is dear to the Goddess Sitala.
After bathing, the deities are put on elephant masks called as Ganesh Vesha. The deities are then offered by cooked food known as Bhog, and Arathi (a kind of ritual).
The deities are taken back to the temple with great procession and placed in a semi-horizontal position in the hallway between the inner and outer shrine.
Snanayatra is followed by Anavasara Festival.
