Puri: The Trinity sparkled in golden attire atop their respective chariots during the Suna Besha ritual on Saturday. Lakhs of devotees thronged Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri to witness ‘Suna Besha’.
The deities donned golden limbs and their insignias, conch and chakra for Lord Jagannath and gold plough for Lord Balabhadra. These apart, big gold tiaras (head gears) were fixed on their head and a number of ornaments of various sizes adorned their necks.
Three separate sets of dressers called Simharis along with some senior Daita servitors dressed the deities in the golden attire simultaneously. It took them around one and a half hours to complete the Suna Besha.
Earlier in the morning, priests performed Mangala Alati, Mailum, Tadap Lagi, Abakash before offering Gopal Bhog. Thereafter, Sakala Dhupa was offered followed by Madhyana Dhupa.
As per tradition, Suna Besha ritual is observed on Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi Tithi on the 11th bright fortnight in the month of Asadha once the sibling deities return to Shree Jagannath temple after the annual sojourn to the Gundicha Temple, considered their birthplace.
As per sources, the sibling deities were adorned with gold ornaments and jewellery weighing around 208 kg, a tradition believed to have begun in the 15th century.
Devotees from different parts of the country and even abroad descended on the seaside pilgrim town. Officials said devotees will be able to witness the deities in golden attire till 11 pm. The district administration of Puri has made elaborate arrangements for smooth darshan for the massive crowd before the golden attires are removed around 11 pm.
According to researchers, the “Suna Besha” ritual began in 1460 AD during the reign of King Kapilendra Deb, who donated gold and diamonds to the temple after his victories in southern India. Initially, the deities were adorned with 138 designs of gold ornaments, though this number has now reduced to 20-30, with the designs remaining unchanged. The ornaments are repaired as needed using raw gold donated by pilgrims.
The deities are adorned in golden jewellery five times a year: once outside the temple during Rath Yatra and four times inside during Dussehra, Kartika Purnima, Pausa Purnima, and Dola Purnima.
Security personnel in strength have been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents while special teams guarded the gold ornaments of the deities. Like Rath Yatra and Bahuda Yatra, drones and AI-powered cameras were used to control crowds and regulate traffic. Adequate parking lots have also been created in and around Puri, while latest technology was used to monitor and control movement of vehicles from Bhubaneswar towards the pilgrim town.
It may be noted that the sibling deities had embarked on their journey to Gundicha Temple for a nine-day sojourn by riding their chariots on the Grand Road on the occasion of Rath Yatra on July 16. The Trinity returned to Srimandir on Friday after their annual stay at Gundicha Temple.
According to the schedule, the deities will be offered Adhara Pana (a delicious drink) on their chariots on July 26 (Sunday). The deities will be taken back to the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine from the chariots in a Pahandi procession on the occasion of Niladri Bije on July 27 (Monday).
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