Lord Jagannath glitters with gold attire on chariots, lakhs congregate in Puri for Suna Besa

Lakhs of devotees on Thursday thronged this seaside pilgrim town of Odisha for a glimpse of Lord Jagannath and his divine siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadras ceremonial Suna Bhesa or golden attire on chariots, a day after the Bahuda Yatra or the return car festival.

According to the Hindu almanac, Suna Bhesa of the deities is conducted on the occasion of Asadha Shukla Ekadashi Tithi on chariots. This ritual is held every year a day after the deities return from Shree Gundicha Temple, considered to be birthplace of Lord Jagannath.

The divine trinity glittered on their chariots parked at the Singhadwar (lions Gate) of the 12th century shrine here. The deities were decorated with ornaments weighing around 208kg of gold, said Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in Jagannath culture.

Pundit Suryanarayan Rathsharma, a Sanskrit scholar, said the ritual of Suna Bhesa began during the rule of king Kapilendra Deb in 1460 after he brought huge quantities of gold and other valuable ornaments by defeating certain states in southern India. I have seen some golden crowns of kings stored in the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar, the treasury of the temple. This indicates that then king had brought crowns of different kings after defeating them in battles, said former administrator of the temple, Rabi Narayan Mishra.

Rathsharma said the then king had brought 16 cartloads of gold to Puri and donated it to the temple, which were later designed in Utkal style ornaments. Bhaskar Mishra said the priests required about one hour to decorate the deities with the Suna Bhesa.

Among the ornaments used were Sri Hasta (gold hands), Sri Payara (gold feet), Sri Mukuta (gold crown) and Sri Chulapati (head band), he said, adding that no diamond is used for security reasons as it is held outside the temple. Mishra said the gold ornaments used in Suna Bhesa are stored in the outer chamber of the Lords Ratna Bhandar while more such precious gold, diamonds, stones and others are stored in the inner chamber of the treasury.

Meanwhile, Jagannath Swainmohapatra, the chief caretaker of Lord Jagannath’s idol, demanded opening of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar. He said the deities were being adorned with old ornaments while unused ornaments are stored in the inner chamber. The deities could have more than 10 sets of ornaments if the inner chamber gold is used, Swainmohapatra said.

The Puri deities undergo Suna Bhesa on four other occasions such as Dussehra, Kartik Purnima and Dola Purnima. While three occasions are held inside the temple, only once the deities adorn gold ornaments outside the shine on chariots during Rath Yatra.

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