Puri: As the devotees anxiously looked forward to the ‘darshan’ (holy glimpse) of the numero uno ‘Suna Besha’ of the Holy Trinity (Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath) on the juggernauts, the pilgrim city today witnessed lakhs of religious hearts with their eyes glued to the spectacular looks of deities.
Even though lakhs of devotees have been thronging the holy city since the eve of Rath Yatra, the lustrous ‘Suna Besha’ lured the devotees more as it is deemed as one and only among the 32 ‘Beshas’ (forms) of the Holy Trinity. Noteworthy is the ‘darshan’ outside the sanctum sanctorum-open to the public.
The pilgrims witnessed the Lords adorned in glittering gold on the bright fortnight of ‘Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi Tithi’.
The ornaments included golden crown, golden peacock feather, golden necklace and silver conch. The three deities are beautifully decorated with around 138 types of ornaments.
Other ornaments included: giant limbs- feet, hands, insignias and weapons like mace, lotus, wheel and conch and huge tiaras besides number of special necklaces and garlands.
The deities also put on big ‘kundalas’ in their ears besides chest guards all made of gold. The special darshan of the Lords will continue till late night.
This is also known as “Bada Tadhau Besha” which takes place a day after the completion of the Lords’ annual sojourn (Bahuda Yatra).