Puri: At least three lakh devotees Tuesday visited Srimandir here to witness the Suna Besha (golden attire) of Lord Jagannath and his siblings on Kartik Purnima, the full moon day of Hindu month of Kartik.
The district administration and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) made elaborate arrangements to manage huge crowd at the 12th century shrine. The administration had erected temporary barricades at the Lions’ Gate to regulate the entry of devotees into Srimandir.
SJTA sources said the Mangala Alati ritual of the deities was performed at 2.15 am. Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were adorned with gold ornaments immediately after the completion of some other routine rituals, SJTA sources added.
Srimandir servitors decorated the three deities with gold crowns, necklace and other traditional ornaments as part of the Suna Besha ritual at the sanctum sanctorum. Lord Jagannath was also decorated with his weapons Chakra (wheel) and Sankha (conch shell) while Lord Balabhadra was adorned with Hala (plough) and Musala (mace).
Devotees were allowed to enter Srimandir through the Lions’ Gate and exit the shrine through the remaining three gates. Mahaprasad was made available for sale at Anand Bazar on the temple precincts at around 11.30 am after the completion of Bhogamandap ritual, SJTA sources said.
The district administration had deployed altogether 40 platoons of armed police personnel to maintain law and order in and around Srimandir and some other strategic places of the Holy City.
SJTA chef administrator Krishan Kumar, meanwhile, thanked the servitors of Srimandir for the timely performance of rituals.
It is worth mentioning here that the presiding deities of Srimandir are adorned with Suna Besha five times in a year. The special ritual is performed at the sanctum sanctorum four times while the deities are decorated with the golden attire outside the shrine once during the annual Rath Yatra.