Niladri Bije is
the ceremony of Lord Jagannath’s return with his siblings from the Raths to the
main temple in Goti Pahandi. ( the next Deity only moves from the chariot after the former Deity reached
the destination)
This is really interesting as it is all about the
continuation of the fight between Lord Jagannath and Goddess Laxmi. On the return from
the vacation from their Mausi's home Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra, when they try to enter the Temple, Goddess Lakshmi did not allow Lord Jagannath to enter.
A fight happens between Lord Jagannath
and Laxmi in front of the Temple. Goddess Laxmi was angry on Lord Jagannath; as he did not
take her along for the vacation to his Mausi's home. The angry Goddess Laxmi didn’t want Lord Jagannath to
enter the Puri Temple as he had disrespected her.
To please the upset wife, Lord Jagannath offered
saree and Kheer Mohan (most of us know it as Rasagola) to Goddess Laxmi; She calmed down and accepted his
apology and allowed him to enter the Puri Temple. Since then it has been a customary every year at the Puri Temple.
This auspicious day, Niladri Bije, today, is also celebrated as the famous Rasagola Dibasa in Odisha.
Jai Jagannath….!!!
