Lakhs of devotees today witnessed the Suna Besha (gold costume) of Holy Trinity

Puri 13/7/19:: Lakhs of devotees today witnessed the Suna Besha (gold costume) of Holy Trinity – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath in Puri amidst tight security on Saturday.

The deities gave darshan to the devotees adorned in gold jewellery while seated in their respective chariots parked at Lion’s gate (Singha Dwara) of the 12th Century shrine.

The Lords are adorned in gold jewellery on the 11th day of the bright fortnight of Asadha. The deities are adorned with different types of gold ornaments from head till the toe.

Lord Jagannath holds a gold ‘chakra’ (wheel) in his right hand and silver ‘sankha’ (conch) in his left hand. Balabhadra holds a gold ‘hala’ (plough) in his left hand and a golden ‘gada’ (mace) in his right hand, while Devi Subhadra adorned with golden and diamond ornaments.

The Holy Trinity is adorned with gold jewellery five times in a year. While four such events take place inside the temple, one Suna Besha is being organised while the deities are on chariots.

This is an opportunity for the devotees, who are not allowed entry into the temple, mostly foreigners and people belonging to different faiths to have a glimpse of the Holy Trinity in their golden glory.

According to the temple records, the Suna Besha is being organised since the reign of King Kapilendra Deb in 1460. The king earned the gold after defeating other kingdoms and deposited them at the temple.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and district administration have made elaborate arrangements for smooth conduct of the Suna Besha, the police have erected barricades around the chariots in order to provide security. Adequate police personnel have been deployed for both security as well as hassle-free darshan of the Lord’s Suna Besha.