Lakhs witness Lord Jagannath’s ‘Suna Besha’

Puri: Lakhs of devotees on Wednesday witnessed Lord Jagannath’s “Suna Besha” ritual in which the idol, seated on a chariot in Puri, was adorned with gold ornaments embedded with precious stones.

The idols of his siblings - Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra – were also decorated by servitors with golden jewellery and attires atop their chariots in front of the ‘Singha Dwar’ of the 12th-century temple.

“The devotees can have ‘darshan’ of the deities till 11 pm on Wednesday,” Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee told reporters.

The ornaments used in the ‘Suna Besha’ are stored in the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhadar and brought to the chariots escorted by armed security personnel, temple officials and priests. Sources said the sibling deities wear gold jewellery weighing nearly 208 kg on this occasion.