PURI, July 20, 2013: It was a regal sight as the deities of Jagannath temple on Friday appeared in their golden avatar (Suna Besha) aboard their chariots. A sea of humanity turned up at the beach town to witness the spectacle. 

On the shining occasion of Suna Besha, the deities were adorned with gold jewelleries weighing nearly 208 kg on their bodies, a temple source said. The temple witnesses Suna Besha on four other occasions-Dussehra, Kartika Purnima, Pausa Purnima and Dola Purnima - in a calendar year. But Rath Yatra is the only occasion when Suna Besha is celebrated on the chariots outside the temple in full public view. 

According to legends, Suna Besha was introduced during the era of King Kapilendra Deb in 1460. "He had conquered another King and brought huge quantities of gold on 16 elephants to Puri. He donated all the gold to the Jagannath temple," said Rabindranath Pratihari, a veteran Jagannath temple priest. 

In late afternoon, escorted by a posse of armed policemen, at least twenty-five priests brought the gold from the temple's treasury onto the chariots. Sources said during the reign of Kapilendra Deb, the deities used to wear gold of nearly 138 designs. But of late, it has been reduced to only 20 to 30 different designs. 

Temple spokesperson Laxmidhar Pujapanda said, "Almost all the jewelleries have been preserved in their original form. Whenever required, we do repair them using the gold donated by devotees."

Improved road connectivity and special trains helped pilgrims from far and wide set their foot in Puri. Devotees, however, had to wade through a waterlogged Grand Road following heavy rains in the morning. 

Security was tightened around the chariots to protect the gold-clad deities. Holding AK-47 and machine guns in hands, armed security personnel occupied vantage locations around the chariots. Around 100 sharp shooters stood guard on rooftops around the chariots, parked right in front of the Jagannath temple. "Even though history has not witnessed any attack on the chariots during Suna Besha, we took no chances and made adequate security arrangements to avoid any untoward incident," said Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo said.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 20, 2013.