Photos: Suna Besha 2023 of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra

Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra will be held in Puri on 29 June 2023 (Thursday).

The newly-carved deities donned at least 200 kg of gold. The Suna Besha (golden avatar) darshan for the deities continued till night.

Legend has it that Suna Besha was introduced during the era of King Kapilendra Deb in 1460 AD. “He conquered a kingdom 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 temple servitor.

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The temple witnesses Suna Besha on four other occasions, Dussehra, Kartika Purnima, Pausa Purnima, and Dola Purnima, in a calendar year. While the four rituals are observed inside the temple, the Suna Besha, performed following Rath Yatra, is celebrated on chariots outside the temple.