The Adhara Pana ritual of the Trinity is observed on the Dwadashi Tithi of the month of Asadha i.e. two days after Bahuda and a day after Sunabesha (golden attire) of the three deities.
This is the penultimate day of the Rath Yatra festival and the last when the deities stay in the chariots for the entire day and night. The day later, the deities are taken inside the temple (Niladribije) that marks the end of the Rath Yatra festival.
The portmanteau of the ritual Adharapana is Adhara (lip) and Pana (sweet drink). The sweet drink is made up of milk, cheese, fruits, sugar and spices, among others. Water for the drink is brought from a well near Singhadwara.
The drink is first prepared in a large brass container kept on the chariot before it is transferred into nine tall earthen urns lined up before the deities three pots each.
The barrel-shaped earthen pots are so tall that they almost touch the lips of the deities. Significantly, the drink is not meant for human consumption. It is meant for the consumption of the side deities (parsva devatas) who accompany the three deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in their respective chariots.
The drink is offered to the side deities as a mark of gratitude for their service of protecting the deities in their chariots during their nine-day sojourn and to help them find liberation.
The nine earthen urns full of sweet drink are then smashed on the chariots in such a way that the drink is spilled all over the chariots and go onto the road where the chariots are parked. The belief is divine entities or invisible spirits who remain near the deities all through the festival can partake of the sweet drink and liberate themselves.
Suar and Mahasuara servitors prepare the drinks on each chariot. The way the lineup and placement of the three tall terracotta urns full of sweet drink is carried out before each deity on the chariot is quite a sight to see.