Two million devotees witness Trinity's Suna Besha
The process for Suna Besha ritual began at 4 pm. Under tight security, the Mekapa servitors retrieved three sets of ornaments from a temporary strong room relocated from the Bahar Ratna Bhandar, and handed those over to the dressers on the chariots, which were placed under a five-tier security cordon.
The Trinity was adorned with a stunning array of ornaments, including giant gold limbs, ceremonial insignias like mace, lotus, chakra, conch, sun and moon, and a golden plough. They also wore large golden tiaras, ornate necklaces, earrings, chest guards, among others. The Suna Besha ritual was completed at 6 pm.
Devotees, who had been arriving since Saturday, continued to pour in throughout the day, moving through long barricaded paths along Badadanda to witness the golden attire of the deities, and exiting through a regulated flow.
Earlier in the day, the servitors performed the daily rituals on the chariots, starting with Mangal Arati, Tadap Lagi, Mailum, Abakash, Surya Puja, Rosa Homa, and Gopal Bhog, followed by Madhyahna Dhupa at 1.50 pm. The deities were then dressed in the sacred Khandua cloth before the Suna Besha.
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