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When queen Gundicha threw open the doors of the mandap, little did she realize that her bout of anxiety will leave the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra incomplete forever.
The legend behind
Legend has it that the idols were made by Lord Viswakarma, the divine carpenter who wished to remain undisturbed behind closed doors when he was engaged in the carving of idols. But due to Queen Gundicha’s curiousness, the doors of the mandap where the idols were being carved were opened.
Upon the untimely opening of the doors, Lord Viswakarma vanished without completing the idols, leaving them incomplete. All the idols including Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were left unstructured, without a proper nose, ears, hands, and legs.
However, as the god loves his devotees more than anything else, Lord Jagannath could not stand the fact that his devotees are forced to worship him in this shapeless figure. This is where Suna Besha comes in when He along with His siblings adorn the golden attire and appear before His devotees in all magnificence.
Loads of gold
The Suna Besha is also called the Rajarajeswar Besha of the deities. It is observed five times in a year when the Lord and His siblings wear the gold jewellery. But the one observed during Bahuda Yatra is called the Bada-Tadau Besha where Tadau stands for gold. The amount of gold in this is much more than in all Suna Beshas combined.
Suna Besha is one of the most sought after beshas for the devotees as it is done on the chariots. It is observed on Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi Tithi (The 11th bright fortnight in Asadha).
The history
As per the Madala Panji, Gajapati Kapilendra Deba won the battle against the Deccan rulers with the blessings of Lord Jagannath and Maa Jayadurga in the year 1460. He brought back tons of gold and other wealth on 16 elephants from the south. He donated all the wealth to Lord Jagannath.
He expressed his desire to get ornaments made for the deities with the gold he brought from the south. He shared his views with Tadhau Karana,who was in charge of the gold.
The Tadhau Karana requested His Majesty that since all devotees do not get the chance to have Darshan of most of the Beshas inside the temple, this Besha should be conducted on the chariots on the occasion of Bada Ekadashi, so that people regardless of religion can avail darshan of the deities. Kapilendra Deba agreed and from then, Suna Besha is being conducted on the chariots every year.
During the occasion of Suna Besha, the deities are embellished with around 200 kg of gold. In the olden days during the reign of Kapilendra Deba, the deities wore nearly 138 designs of gold ornaments. But these days, the deities are decorated with only 20 to 30 types of designs.
1. Suna Hasta – Golden Hand
2. Suna Payar – Golden Feet
3. Suna Mukuta – Golden Crown
4. Suna Mayur Chandrika – A Golden Peacock Feather Used By Shri Jagannath
5. Suna Chulapati – A Golden Ornament Worn Traditionally On The Forehead
6. Suna Kundal – Golden Earring Of Hanging Round Ball Type
7. Suna Rahurekha – A Half Square Shaped Golden Aura Around The Deities
8. Suna Mala – Necklaces With Several Designs Made Of Gold. These include:
9. Padma Mala –Necklace Of Lotus Flower
10. Sevati Mala – Necklace Of Chrysanthemum Flower
11. Agasti Mala – Necklace Of Moon Shaped Flower Design
12. Kadamba Mala – Necklace Of Kadamba Flower
13. Kante Mala –Necklace Big Gold Beads
14. Mayur Mala – Necklace Shaped As Peacock Feathers
15. Champa Mala –Necklace Of Champak Flower
16. Suna Chakra – Golden Wheel
17. Suna Gada – Golden Bludgeon
18. Suna Padma – Golden Lotus
19. Rupa Sankha – A Silver Conch
