Puri: Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad are set to throng Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri on Sunday for a glimpse of Shree Jagannath Temple’s opulence as the sibling deities will be adorned with elaborate gold ornaments embedded with precious stones in a special ritual called ‘Suna Besha’ on Sunday evening.
During this significant ritual as part of the Rath Yatra festival, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath will be adorned with golden attire on their respective chariots in front of the 12th century shrine. The deities returned to the Lions’ Gate of the shrine from Gundicha temple riding their chariots during Bahuda Yatra on Saturday.
Suna Besha ritual is observed on Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi Tithi on the 11th bright fortnight in Asadha once the sibling deities return to Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri after the annual sojourn.
According to the temple schedule, the priests began the daily rituals in the morning, beginning with Mangal Arati, Mailum, Tadap Lagi, Abakash, Surya Puja, Rosa Homa, followed by dressing the deities in new clothes. The Gopal Bhog will be offered to the deities. After the Sakal Dhupa offering, three sets of dressers will start the process of decorating the deities with gold ornaments.
The servitors of the shrine will decorate the deities with gold ornaments including Sri Hasta (golden hand), Sri Payar (golden feet), Sri Mukuta (golden crown), Sri Mayur Chandrika (golden peacock feather), Sri Kundal (golden earring), Sri Rahurekha (golden aura) and Sri Mala (gold necklace) on their chariots between 5 pm and 6.30 pm.
The devotees can witness the Suna Besha ritual of the deities from 6.30 pm to 11 pm, according to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
One of the richest deities in the country, the Lords will then glitter atop the three chariots, Nandighos, Taladhwaja and Debadalana, parked at Singhdwar of the 12th-century shrine.
Over 10 lakh devotees are expected to throng the Grand Road and can witness ‘Suna Besha’ till 11 pm.
Golden Tales
Legend has it that Suna Besha began during the reign of King Kapilendra Deb in 1460 when the triumphant king brought 16 cartloads of gold to Puri after winning wars over the rulers of the Deccan (Southern India), said a temple priest.
He donated the gold and diamond to Lord Jagannath and instructed the temple priests to get ornaments crafted out of them.
The Vault
The gold ornaments are currently stored in the temporary strongroom on the temple premises after valuables were shifted from the Ratna Bhandar last year. Escorted by armed policemen and temple officials, bhandara mekap priests (store in-charge) bring the gold jewellery laced with invaluable stones and hand it over to Puspalaka and Daitapati servitors.
Different sections of servitors, involving Palia Puspalak, Bhitarchha Mohapatra, Taluchha Mohapatra, Daitapatis, Khuntia and Mekap sevaks, have been assigned to decorate the deities on the chariots.
All That Glitters & Shines
According to temple sources, the sibling deities wear gold jewellery, weighing nearly 208 kg (2 quintals 8 kg), on this occasion.
It takes the servitors almost an hour to decorate the Lords with gold ornaments and other jewellery- Sri Hasta (gold hand), Sri Payar (gold feet), Sri Mukuta (big gold crown), Sri Mayur Chandrika (gold peacock feather for Lord Jagannath), Sri Chulapati (an ornament traditionally worn on the forehead), Sri Kundal (gold earring with a hanging ball), Sri Rahurekha (a half square-shaped gold aura), Sri Mala (necklaces), Sri Chita (third eye of Lords), Sri Chakra (gold wheel), Sri Gada (gold bludgeon), Sri Padma (gold lotus) and Sri Sankha (a silver conch).
Traditional Designs
According to the priest, the deities were decked up with gold ornaments of nearly 138 designs during the era of Kapilendra Deb. The number has come down to 20-30 now, he further said.
The designs are still intact. They are repaired as and when required using raw gold donated by pilgrims, he added.
The gold ornaments are refurbished every year ahead of Suna Besha.
Notably, the sibling deities of the 12th century shrine are adorned in gold on four other occasions — Dussehra, Kartika Purnima, Pausa Purnima and Dola Purnima — in a calendar year. These, however, are observed inside the temple.
