Toshali Sands

SNANA YATRA (The Bathing Festival)

On the full moon day of the month Jyestha (May-June). This Yatra or bathing ceremony takes place. On thisday, the three dieties along with Madan Mohan and Sudarshan are brought in a colourful procession to a platform in the outer enclosure of the temple, the Snana Vedi, the bathing platform, where they bathe with one hundred and eight pictures of performed water drawn from a Suna-Kuan (Golden-well) located in the campus of the Shrine of Goddess Sitala near the northern gate way. This well is used for this purpose only once a year. After the ritual bath, the deities assume the special elephant form, recalling the legend of the lords affection for a devotee when he proved that he was in fact another manifestation of Lord Ganesh.