The pilgrim town of Puri immersed in divine celebrations as Lord Jagannath and his siblings-Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra donned Rajarajeswar Besha popularly known as Suna Besha on Thursday. However, the usage of old ornaments during the grand festival has irked servitors and devotees.
Lord Jagannath’s Badagrahi Jagannath Swain Mohapatra on Thursday expressed displeasure over the usage of old ornaments during the regular rituals of the Holy Trinity over the years even if there are more valuable ornaments stored in the Ratna Bhandar of the 12th century shrine.
Expressing discontent over Odisha government’s apathy over the reopening of the treasure trove of the shrine, Swain Mohapatra said, “There are many devotees who are willing to donate gold. Besides, almost 10-12 sets of ornaments can be made for the deities using the valuables already stored in the Ratna Bhandar.”
Among other beshas, the sibling deity's Nagarjuna and Raghunatha beshas are rare. But no one remembers when for the last time Lord Jagannath and siblings donned Raghunatha besha.
“We have learnt from our ancestors that the Holy Trinity had once donned Raghunatha besha. It means quintals of gold was used during the ritual. The temple is under the Odisha government. Why the government is not taking any actions to reopen the treasure trove,” Swain Mohapatra questioned.
It is worthwhile to mention here that, a portion of the headgear (Kirita) of Lord Jagannath was found missing during the golden attire (Suna Besha) rituals in 2021 and the missing portion of the crown was covered with flowers. The kirita which suffered damaged in 2010 was offered to Lord Jagannath after repair work.
Notably, the ornaments used during Suna Besha are hundreds of years old. Recently, in an exclusive interview with OTV, Puri King Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb had expressed his displeasure citing that the Odisha government is dragging its feet to reopen the Ratna Bhandar even after demands from all quarters.
“There is a clear mention in the Act that the inventory of ornaments kept in the Ratna Bhandar should be made. But this has not been done. The temple managing committee has already requested the State government to reopen the Ratna Bhandar for repair work. Now, the decision lies with the government,” Puri King had said.
Meanwhile, senior servitor Binayak Das Mohapatra has alleged that instead of gold plate, the Supreme Lord is served food in brass plate.
“Instead of gold plate, the Lords are being served food on brass plates. There is enough ornament in the Ratna Bhandar. But no one seems to be bothered,” said Das Mohapatra while demanding to reopen the treasure trove at the earliest.
“We humans change our dress and jewelley whenever they get old. Lord Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe. But it is saddening that old ornaments are being used for his day-to-day rituals. So the government should take necessary measure to reopen the Ratna Bhandar soon,” a devotee said.