Puri. Lakhs of devotees have gathered in the holy city of Puri to witness the ‘Suna Besha’, the golden attire, of Bhagwan Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on Wednesday evening. The sibling deities, who are on their three chariots, are decorated with more than 208 kilograms of gold jewelleries. The chariots are parked in front of the Singhadwar of the 12th century shrine the Shri Jagannath temple after their return from Gundicha temple, completing their 8-day stay in the house of their maternal aunt Gundicha Devi. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Puri to witness the ‘SunaBesha’.
It was a sight to behold as the Deities of Jagannath Temple in Puri on Wednesday appeared on golden avatar (SunaBesha) atop their chariots in front of Singhadwar.
As per tradition, the servitors adorned the murtis of Bhagwan Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra sitting in their respective chariots with golden attire.
The deities were adorned with gold replicas of Sri Hasta (hand) and Sri Payar (feet) beside ornaments including Sri Mukuta (crown), Sri Mayur Chandrika (peacock feather), Sri Kundal (ear ring), Sri Rahurekha (aura) and Sri Mala (necklace).
It took more than an hour for the sevayats to decorate the Deities with gold ornaments. Earlier they had brought huge quantities of ornaments from a temporary strong room of Shri Mandir premises to the chariots amid tight security for the rituals.
It may be noted that the ornaments stored in the outer chamber of Ratna Bhandar were shifted to a temporary strong room by temple authorities on 14 July to carry out the repair work at the Ratna Bhandar.
Suna Besha, which is also known as Rajadhiraj Besha, is held a day after the Mahaprabhu’s return to Shri Mandir from their annual sojourn to Gundicha temple on Bahuda Yatra.
In the festival of Rath Yatra, the most attractive avatar of Bhagwan Jagannath is the SunaBesha, during which the deities are embellished with golden ornaments aboard the gigantic chariots. The devotees can see Bhagwan Jagannath’s incomplete hands and legs with golden arms, palms and feet on the special occasion.
SunaBesha is a core part of the worship of Mahaprabhu Jagannath and is one of the 13 grand festivals celebrated annually at the Shri Mandir.
The state government and police have made elaborate security arrangements for this occasion. Around 5,700 police personnel have been deployed in the town.
