Lord Jagannath's Suna Besha Draws Huge Crowd

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Devi Subhadra's Gold Jewelery

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

Jul 19, 2013 — JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — It was a sight to behold as the Deities of Jagannath Temple on Friday appeared on golden avatar (Suna Besha) aboard Their chariots in front of Jagannath Temple. A sea of humanity turned up to witness the annual spectacle. On the shining occasion of Suna Besha, the Deities were adorned with gold jewelries weighing nearly 208 kg. on their bodies, a temple source said.

The temple witnesses Suna Besha on four other occasions in a calendar year: Dussehra, Kartika Purnima, Pausa Purnima and Dola Purnima. But those four occasions are observed inside the temple only, whereas the Suna Besha performed after Rath Yatra is celebrated on chariots outside the temple.

Lord Jagannath's Gold Jewelery

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

Suna Besha is an important annual ritual performed after the end of Rath Yatra. According to temple history, Suna Besha was introduced during the era of King Kapilendra Deb in 1460 A.D. "He had conquered another King and brought huge quantities on gold on 16 elephants to Puri. He donated all the gold to the Jagannath Temple," said Rabindranath Pratihari, a veteran temple priest.

Balabhadra's Gold Jewelery

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

In late afternoon, being escorted by a posse of armed policemen, at least twenty-five bhandara mekap priests (treasury keepers) brought the required gold from the temple's treasury onto the chariots. Sources said during the reign of Kapilendra Deb, the Deities used to wear gold of nearly 138 designs. But these days, the Deities are donning only twenty or thirty types of designs.

Lord Balabhadra

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

Asked whether all the types of gold designs that were prevalent in the past are still intact, temple's spokesperson Laxmidhar Pujapanda said, "Almost all of them are intact. Whenever required, we do repairing." He said, "Raw gold donated by pilgrims is used to repair the ornaments of Deities."

Lord Balabhadra

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

Buoyed by improved road connectivity and introduction of special trains by East Coast Railway, pilgrims from far and wide set their feet in Puri Dham. Devotees, however, suffered a lot and waded through waterlogged Grand Road following heavy rains in the morning.

Security was tightened around the chariots to protect the gold-clad Deities. Holding AK-47's and machineguns in hand, armed security personnel occupied the vantage locations around the chariots. With binoculars, they were keeping a vigilant eye on suspicious characters amid a milling crowd. Around 100 sharpshooters stood guard on rooftops around the chariots, parked right in front Jagannath Temple.

Lord Jagannath

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]

"Even though history has not witnessed any attack on the chariots during Suna Besha, we took adequate security arrangements to avoid any untoward incident," said Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo.

Deities on Chariots for Suna Besha

[Photo: Sampradaya Sun]