Lakhs of devotees witness ‘Suna Besha’

Puri : Around15 lakh devotees on Wednesday witnessed Lord Jagannath’s “Suna Besha” ritual in which the idol, seated on a chariot in Puri, was adorned with gold ornaments embedded with precious stones. The idols of his siblings - Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra – were also decorated by servitors with golden jewellery and attires atop their chariots in front of the ‘Singha Dwar’ (Lion’s Gate) of the famous 12th-century temple.

Sources said the sibling deities wear gold jewellery, weighing nearly 208 kg on the occasion which, according to experts, began in the 15th century. The embellishment of the idols known as “Suna Besha” (golden attire) is held two days after the sibling deities return to Shree Jagannath temple following their nine-day sojourn at the Gundicha temple, considered their birthplace.

“The devotees can have ‘darshan’ of the deities till 11 pm on Wednesday night,” Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee told reporters. Puri District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said: “We have made arrangements for the smooth darshan for 15 lakh devotees. The golden attires of the deities would be removed at about 11 pm. The people can have a glimpse of the trinity between 5 pm and 11 pm.”

The ornaments used in the ‘Suna Besha’ are stored in the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) and brought to the chariots escorted by armed security personnel, temple officials and priests. The gold ornaments used in this ritual included hands, feet, third eyes, crowns, peacock feathers, earrings, necklaces, lotus and conch.

According to Shree Jagannath culture researcher Asit Mohanty, the ‘Suna Besha’ ritual began in the Puri temple during the reign of King Kapilendra Deb in 1460 AD when the ruler brought 16 cartloads of gold to Odisha after winning wars over the rulers in southern India. The King donated the gold and diamond to Lord Jagannath and instructed the temple priests to prepare ornaments for the ‘Suna Besha’ of the trinity.

Mohanty said the deities were decked up with gold ornaments of nearly 138 designs during the era of Kapilendra Deb. However, the number has come down to 20-30 now, though the designs have not changed. He said the ornaments used to get repaired as and when required using raw gold donated by pilgrims, he added.

Temple sources also said that the deities adorn such golden jewelry at least five times a year. While one such ritual is held outside the temple on chariots during the Rath Yatra, it is held inside during the four other times. The four occasions are Dussehra, Kartika Purnima, Pausa Purnima and Dola Purnima.

Meanwhile, the State government and police have made elaborate security arrangements in the seaside temple town of Puri. Around 5,700 police personnel have been deployed in the town, officials said.

For the convenience of the devotees, the East Coast Railway has been running 46 special trains to Puri.