Chacheri Besha: The sacred festival of colour and devotion

By Binit Kumar Bhoi

Have you ever imagined the Lord of all Worlds Prabhu Jagannath of Odisha, the Natha of the entire jagat, lost in the carefree joy of colour and festivity, just like a child at play? That is precisely what Chacheri Besha reveals: a rare and deeply intimate glimpse of the divine, dressed in all-red splendour during the festive days of Dola Yatra. It is a moment when the cosmic sovereign steps down from the grandeur of eternity and joins the celebration of spring with childlike delight.

What is Chacheri Besha?

Chacheri Besha is a distinctive ritual adornment observed at the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. It takes place annually from Phalguna Shukla Dashami to Chaturdashi for a span of five sacred days that coincide with the festival of Dola Yatra and mark the arrival of Basant or spring. The Besha forms an important part of the Dwadash Jatra, the twelve principal journeys and festivals of Lord Jagannath that constitute the living liturgical calendar of Puri, unbroken for over a thousand years.

The Sacred Adornment: Draped in Crimson and Gold

During Chacheri Besha, the three divine siblings, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are adorned in their entirety in laal clothes. Enthroned on the Ratna Singhasana, the jewelled throne of the temple, they receive red silk garments, a red Srimukha Bala, a red Odhiani, and delicate Nalibhuja ornaments. Crowning this sacred ensemble are ornaments of pure gold that catch the light of the temple lamps and cast a warm, otherworldly glow across the sanctum. The combined effect is one of extraordinary beauty, at once majestic and tender, divine and deeply human.

The Sequence of Sacred Rituals

Each day of the Besha unfolds through a choreographed sequence of nitya seva, or daily service, that has been faithfully followed for centuries by the hereditary servitors of the temple. The first and most intimate act is Sarvanga, the sacred anointing of the Lord's entire form with sandalwood paste and consecrated oil. This is followed by Mailam, the ceremonial changing of garments, in which the divine siblings receive their fresh crimson vestments, symbolising renewal and the exuberance of the season.

During the Mailam ritual, the Palia Bhandara Mekapa brings sandalwood from the Bhandara Ghara and presents it as an offering to the Lord. With this, the full form of Chacheri Besha is complete and the deity is ready to receive devotees in this splendid incarnation. A special food offering of Mandua Bhoga and Pancha Upachar prasad is then presented to the adorned deities on the jewelled throne.

One of the most distinctive elements of the day is the Benta Niti, a ritual in which a coconut is offered as a symbolic act of shikar, or the hunt. This ancient observance invokes Jagannath not simply as the joyful companion of spring festivities, but as the sovereign ruler whose dharma sustains all creation. It is a powerful reminder that beneath the festive exterior of Chacheri Besha lies a deep theology of kingship and cosmic order.

Dola Yatra: Beyond the Temple Walls

While the Besha unfolds in sacred serenity within the sanctum of the Jagannath Temple, the streets of Odisha erupt in colour and song. Dola Yatra — the public festival that accompanies Chacheri Besha — sweeps joyously across every village and city in the state. Elaborate vimanas or palanquins bearing the idols of Krishna and Radha are carried in grand processions through decorated lanes, accompanied by the sounds of cymbals, conches, and devotional song.

Devotees shower one another with fagu or the coloured powder of Holi and the air turns luminous with laughter, music, and the fragrance of spring flowers. Friends, families, and neighbours dissolve into a joyous blur of red, saffron, and gold. For those days, the boundary between devotee and deity, between the sacred and the festive, simply disappears.

The Deeper Significance

Chacheri Besha is far more than a change of garments. In Jagannath theology, each Besha is a revelation, a chosen manifestation through which the formless divine makes itself accessible to the human heart. The all-red Besha of Chacheri is particularly intimate, evoking the childlike, playful aspect of the divine. It is a reminder that the cosmic sovereign is also the eternal child who delights in colour, celebration, and the company of devotees.

As part of the Dwadash Jatra, this Besha belongs to a living liturgical calendar that has been unbroken for over a thousand years. It stands as one of the oldest continuously celebrated spring rituals in the subcontinent, rooted in the cultural and spiritual soil of Odisha.

The festival ultimately carries a timeless message: that tapasya or discipline and devotion are essential to a life well-lived, but so too are utsav and anand, celebration and joy. When even the Lord of the Universe pauses to dress in crimson and join the festival of spring, it is an invitation to every devotee to do the same.