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.

PHOTOS: Lord Jagannath paintings by famous painters of Odisha

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.

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.