The Suna Besha, also known as the Rajarajeswara Besha, is one of the most awaited avatars of the holy Trinity at Puri, drawing millions of devotees. People gather to catch a glimpse of the majestic deities, adorned in golden jewellery.
Observed on the auspicious Asadha Sukla Ekadasi Tithi, the Suna Besha has an interesting story that lies beneath its impressive observance. In the year 1460, after the battle against the Deccan rulers, Kapilendra Dev the then Gajapati of Utkal, reached the Srimandir with a vast treasure of gold and other precious wealth mounted on 16 elephants.With utmost devotion, he bowed down to the lord and ordered his ministers to dedicate the gold brought on the back on 16 elephants to lord Jagannath.The servitors and the ministers were confused with this decision of the king.‘Why is the king choosing to dedicate the gold to the lord instead of keeping it for himself? They talked amongst themselves but no one dared to ask this to the king. However, the king himself said, All this belongs to the lord.
He was there with me throughout the war, I owe him this win.Therefore whatever I have brought belongs to him.We will not take even a single piece of goldLord Jagannath will be bestowed with all this gold and will give darshan in the Rajarajeswara Besha.Kapilendra Deba expressed his desire to utilize the gold to create ornate ornaments for the deities, however there was a concern. If gold ornaments were to be bestowed upon the Lord in the Srimandir, only a few people could have the darshan of Lord Jagannath's Rajarajeshwar besa as some were not allowed inside the temple.Tadhau Karana, the custodian of gold, made a humble request to Gajapati Kapilendra Deba. As many devotees were unable to witness the divine Besha within the temple, he suggested that the Suna Besha be displayed on the chariots during Rath Yatra on occasion of Bada Ekadashi, allowing devotees of all faiths to behold the deities.Kapilendra Deba graciously approved this proposal and the Suna Besa ritual was held, since then, this ritual is observed on Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi Tithi, after the sibling deities return from Gundicha Temple on Bahuda.During this grand occasion, the deities are adorned with approximately 208 kilograms of gold. History says, during Kapilendra Deba’s reign, the deities were adorned with an astonishing 138 designs of gold ornaments. Although the number of designs has decreased over time, the deities are still majestically decorated with 20 to 30 types of gold ornaments.