Anavasara

Srila Prabhupada very nicely describes the Dayitapati servants of lord jagannath: “The word Daita refers to one who has received the mercy of the lord. Lord Jagannath has a number of stalwart servants known asDaitas.These servants of Lord Jagannath take care of the Lord from the day of the Snana-Yatra up to the time the Lord is carried from the throne to the Chariots. The Ksetra-mahatmya says these Dayitas or Dayita-Patiscome from the sabaras who come from the brahmin caste. The Dayitapati’s offer food such as sweetmeats to Lord Jagannath during the anavasara and an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. It is said that in the beginning Lord Jagannath was worshiped by the sabaras and was known as the Deity Nila Madhava. Later when the Deity was established in the temple, the Lord became Known as Jagannath”

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