Bhubaneswar, July 6 (IANS) Religious fervour gripped the holy city of Puri on Sunday as devotees witnessed the regal grandeur of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, seated on their chariots and adorned with various types of gold ornaments.

Lakhs of devotees thronged the sacred coastal town of Puri on Sunday to witness this divine spectacle. However, no untoward incident was reported during the special ritual of the deities.

As per the tradition, the holy siblings were decorated with golden hands, feet, garlands with gold beads of different shapes and styles, golden headgear, golden Chakra or discus, silver conchs, gold ploughshare and pestle during this special ritual known in the local Odia language as ‘Suna Besha’ or ‘Rajarajeswar Besha’, or ‘Bada Tadhau Besha’.

This ritual is observed every year when the triad is on their respective chariots parked in front of the lion gate of Jagannath Temple after the Bahuda Yatra, the return car festival.

The devotees were filled with divine fervour by getting a glimpse of the holy siblings Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadara and Lord Balabhadra adorned with gold ornaments weighing around 208 Kgs during the special rituals on Sunday.

Experts opined that the tradition of Suna Besha during the Rath Yatra was started during the reign of Gajapati ruler King Kapilendra Deva in 1460 CE, following the request of a special category of servitors known as Tadhau Karan.

The great king also ordered the preparation of 138 types of gold ornaments, out of which some are studded with precious gemstones.

On the other hand, the huge influx of pilgrims on Sunday has caused heavy traffic snarls in the city and around Puri.

All the designated parking spots in the city reached their maximum capacity. The pilgrims were stuck in a traffic jam for several hours on various roads connecting to the holy city on Sunday.

The holy siblings are scheduled to return to the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th-century shrine in a special ritual called ‘Niledri Bije’ on Tuesday.

–IANS

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