Over two million devotees witness Suna Vesa of the trinity in Puri
An unprecedented crowd of more than two million devotees thronged the holy city of Puri where they witnessed the magnifiscent Suna Vesa (Golden Attire) of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and younger sister Devi Subhadra atop their respective massive wooden chariots stationed at the Simhadwar of Sri Jagannath Temple on Sunday.
The Lords had returned from Sri Gundicha temple on Saturday in a ritual known as Bahuda Yatra. After the ceremonial Pahandi of the deities, Suna Vesa was the most spectacular event of the nine day long annual Rath Yatra.
Known as ‘Bada Tadhau Besha’, the Vesa was completed and presented for devotees on Sunday evening. The flow of devotees to Puri town had started from Saturday and thousands of pilgrims have been pouring into the beach town from Sunday morning to witness Suna Vesa of Lords in the evening. The deities resplendent in gold ornaments giving a public view seated on their chariots on Bada Danda is considered a rare event among devotees as well as tourists.
By evening, over 15 lakh people were on the Badadanda to behold the divine spectacle, their hearts filled with spiritual fervor as public view continued deeper into night. The pilgrims were coming in every hour and their stream was swelling. The Suna Vesa, one of the most significant events of the Ratha Yatra, is a rare and mesmerizing sight, as the deities are adorned with gold ornaments only five times a year. While four of these occasions—Magha Purnima,Kartika purnima,Pousha Purnima and Dussehera—take place on the Ratna Sinhasana in the sanctum sanctorum inside the Sri Jagannath temple, the Suna Vesa during Rath Yatra occurs atop chariots allowing devotees from all walks of life to witness this divine grandeur.
Unlike temple rituals, which are restricted to certain devotees, the chariot based Suna Vesa ensures that everyone can partake in this sacred experience, making it grandest of all. The divine sight of the deities in their golden attire left devotees in awe, marking yet another unforgettable moment in the spiritual legacy of Shree Kshetra on the auspicious occasion of Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi. Servitors adorned the Lords at 4 pm which was completed by 6 pm. Under tight security, the Mekapa (traditional temple treasurer) servitors brought jewellery sets from the temporary strong room, handed them over to the dressers on the three Rathas. Earlier, the Ratna Bhandar Committee had shifted all the treasure of the deities to a designated strong room. The rathas were put under a five layer security cordon. Suna Vesas were unmade before midnight. The ornaments used for Suna Vesa were giant limbs like feet, hands, lotus, chakra, conch, Sun-moon and golden plough, huge golden tiaras like an arch,various types of special necklaces, big kundalas (earrings) in the earlobes of Lords and other items. The deities were fashioned with Hrudapadak (chest guards).
In 1978, an inventory of Lords’ wealth had been made. It had been found there were 367 items of gold ornaments weighing 4 quintals of gold and 251 items of silver ornaments weighing 14 quintals. There were ornaments studded with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and other precious stones of rare quality and size. After the Suna Vesa, ‘Adhar Pana’, a rare drink, will be offered to deities on Monday night. On Tuesday the homecoming ceremony called Niladri Bije will be marked with the offering of ‘Rasgulla’ bhog and deities will enter the temple.
Unfortunately, one devotee named Babaji Behera, 60, from Jagatsinghpur district of coastal Odisha died after slipping from balcony of Radhaballav Mutta in front of Simhadwar (Lion’s Gate). He suffered grievous injuries, and succumbed later. The Mutt, a prominent vantage point for devotees seeking a better view of the festival, was crowded at the time. The incident has raised concern about safety measures at such historic structures during large scale religious events. On June 29, three devotees had died in front of Sri Gundicha temple due to stampede for which state government had faced criticism.
All the high ups including Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, Health Minister Mukes Mahaling and senior officers were camping at Puri to oversee the arrangements.
India