nīlādro darśanaṃ sahastrāni āḍapa maṃḍapaḥ dīne
je pāsayaṃtī jagannātha mukti tesāṁgaṃ sancayaḥ ।
The Navami Sandhya Darshan is considered one of the most auspicious days during the nine-day Rath Yatra festival. It takes place on Asadha Shukla Paksha Navami tithi every year at Gundicha Temple. Also known as ‘Adapa Darshan’, the Sandhya darshan takes place in the evening at the temple, a day before Mahaprabhu Jagannath along with Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra embark on a return journey to Shrimandir.
It is believed that Mahaprabhu’s blessings on the devotees increase manifold times if they get an opportunity to get darshan of the deities during the ‘Sandhya Darshan’ at Gundicha temple. The blessings bestowed upon the devotees by Mahaprabhu Jagannath are considered to be at least ten times more than the usual darshan at Shrimandir.
divātata darśanam punyam rātro dasaguno bhavet|
The above shloka from Skanda Purana emphasises on the importance of worshipping the deities in the evening hour. The devotees gather from far and wide to see the deities and partake in the delicious Mahaprasad. During the deities’ stay at Gundicha temple, the kitchen of Shrimadir (main temple) remains closed for nine days. Instead, Mahaprasad is prepared in the kitchen of Gundicha temple which is then offered as Bhoga to the deities and Mahaprasad to the devotees.
The day starts with the Abakash Niti where the deities are given a bath in the Abakash Besha and then the ritual of ‘Sakala Dhupa’ takes place which is then followed by various other rituals. Then the Sandhya aarti takes place in the evening.
