Bhubaneswar, July 17 Lakhs of devotees witnessed the divine Suna Besha (Gold Attire) or the Rajarajeswar Besha of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Subhadra and Balabhadra in the holy city of Puri on Wednesday.
The servitors decorated the deities with gold-made hands, feet, garlands with gold beads of different shapes and styles, golden crown, gold Chakra or discus, silver conch, gold ploughshare and pestle during the special ritual.
This ritual is observed every year when the triad is on their respective chariots parked in front of the lion gate of Jagannath Temple after the Bahuda Yatra, the return car festival.
The devotees were filled with divine fervour by getting a glimpse of the holy siblings' Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadara and Lord Balabhadra adorned with gold ornaments weighing around 208 Kgs during the special rituals on Wednesday.
The servitors brought the gold ornaments from the temporary strong room inside the 12th-century shrine amidst tight security.
As per the officials of the temple administration, the devotees congregated in the holy town can relish the spectacle from 5 pm till 11 pm on Wednesday.
Odisha Police has deployed 180 platoons of police force along with hundreds of senior officials for security and traffic arrangements to avoid any untoward incident during the Suna Besha ritual.
Experts opined that the tradition of Suna Besha during the Rath Yatra was started by 15th-century Gajapati ruler King Kapilendra Dev following the request of a special category of servitors known as Tadhau Karan.
The great king also ordered the preparation of 138 types of gold ornaments out of which some are studded with precious gemstones.
--IANS
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