Puri: Servitors began the sacred ‘Suna Besha’ ritual, draping Lord Jagannath and His Siblings in approximately 208 kilograms of golden ornaments on their chariots.
The ceremony, one of the major highlights of the Rath Yatra festival, saw thousands of devotees gather to witness Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra adorned in gold crowns, arms, hands and traditional attire amid chants of ‘Haribol’ and ‘Jay Jagannath’.
The influx of pilgrims triggered heavy traffic congestion on the Bhubaneswar-Puri National Highway 316. One of the worst bottlenecks formed near Batagaon, where commuters faced waiting periods of up to two hours. Authorities warned of further delays as more devotees were expected to arrive for evening darshan.