Padma Besha Of Lord Jagannath & Siblings Today

Puri: The much-awaited Padma Mukha Besha (lotus attire) ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings at Srimandir is being observed today.

Seated in the Ratna Singhasan (bejewelled throne) of the temple, the Trinity will adorn Padma Besha and give darshan to the devotees midnight today. Padma Pokhari (lotus pond) will be created in front of the Ratna Singhasan and the deities will don the besha all through the night.

The preparation of the costumes for the besha at the Badachata Matha has been completed. Decorative lotus made of thermocol will be fixed to the feet of the deities in the midnight. Srimukha, Karapallav, Nabhipadma and Hansa have also been made. Tulasi and huge marigold garlands to be worn by the deities have taken the final shape.

“Like lotus blossoms in the pond and swans play in the water, similar decoration will be made around the Ratna Singhasan of the Lord Jagannath and his siblings. The devotees will catch the wonderful spectacle,” said Basant Rana, chief decorator of the Besha.

As per the tradition, the Padma Besha ritual falls between the new moon day of Magha and Basanta Panchami. Usually, preparations for the besha begin three months ago.

Badachata Matha supplies all the materials required for preparations of the besha. Similarly, a retired Sanskrit teacher from Bhubaneswar, Chintamani Das denotes thousands of fresh lotuses every year.

“I don’t know much about devotion, but my utmost concern is to bring the lotus to the Lord in time,” Das said.

At present, the deities are in Bada Singhar Besha and will be adorned in Padma Besha by Puspalaka servitors today midnight. The deities will remain in the besha till Abakash and Mangal Alati ritual tomorrow and devotees can have darshan. Therefore, a large number of devotees are expected to visit Srimandir tomorrow morning.

(Edited By Suryakant Jena)