A golden aura surrounded Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath, and Goddess Subhadra as the Holy Trinity adorned the Suna Besha (golden attire) atop their respective chariots parked at Bada Danda in Puri on Thursday.
A sea of devotees witnessed the lord and his siblings basking in the glory of gold as the servitors decorated the Trinity with 35 different ornaments running into stashes of gold as a part of the Suna Besha ritual.
As per the schedule, Suna Besha ritual began at around 4.30 am today. The special ritual was performed after Mailama, Sadhi Khandua Lagi, Sandhya Alati and Ekadashi Swarnabha Niti.
As per the legend, King Kapilendra Deb had brought a huge amount of gold jewellery by conquering a neighbouring kingdom. He donated all the valuable metal to the temple in 1460. Since then, the Suna Besha has been a major ritual of the deities.
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 limited 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