Puri, the sacred coastal town, was bustling with lakhs of devotees, eager to witness the three siblings – Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra – adorned in gold ornaments, weighing approximately 208 kilograms.
The massive influx of pilgrims, keen to see the dazzling holy triad, led to heavy traffic congestion in and around Puri. Earlier in the day, the Odisha Police had issued an alert, informing devotees that designated parking areas in Puri were at full capacity. Vehicles transporting pilgrims were advised to wait for a few hours at Batgaon and Maltipatpur.
The Odisha Police stated, “Extremely heavy vehicle inflow from Bhubaneswar towards Puri at present. The present waiting time at Batgaon is around two hours. All devotees are requested to plan their visit accordingly.” The police have also urged everyone to adhere to traffic advisories and cooperate with police personnel on duty.
During the special ritual, known as ‘Suna Besha’, ‘Rajarajeswar Besha,’ or ‘Bada Tadhau Besha’ in Odia language, the deities were adorned with gold hands, feet, garlands of various gold beads, a golden crown, a gold Chakra (discus), a silver conch, and a gold ploughshare and pestle.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had previously announced that devotees could have darshan of the deities from 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM on Sunday.
The ‘Suna Besha’ ritual for the holy siblings on their chariots originated in 1460 CE during the reign of Gajapati King Kapilendra Deva, at the request of a prominent servitor, ‘Tadhau Karana.’ The king, returning victorious from a war with Southern Indian rulers, had donated cartloads of gold, diamonds, and other precious ornaments to the temple.
