Nagarjuna Besha Of Lord Jagannath After 26 Years In Puri Today

Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Goddess Shubhadra and Lord Balaram. is being held in Puri's Jagannath Temple after a span of 26 years. The last Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath was held in 1994. This year, the celebrations are muted due to the pandemic and the Odisha police have requested people not to gather in large numbers. The rituals are being performed in the presence of the temple officials and preparations began at 2 am. The Nagarjuna Besha rituals, which were scheduled to start at 4:45 AM, were delayed and began at 7 AM, according to local media reports.

In this 'besha' or form, the deities are decorated like a warrior honouring Parasurama, the warrior incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the holy month of Kartika.

Nagarjuna Besha includes special dresses, weapons and ornaments like Sri Bhuja, Sri Payara, Nakuasi, Karna Kundala prepared by the Chakrakot Khuntia servitors.

Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath: A look at the special weapons and dresses for Lord Jagannath

Devotees of Lord Jagannath have been posting beautiful pictures and greetings on Nagarjuna Besha. Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik post his stunning creation.   

Jai Jagannath......#NagarjunaBesha pic.twitter.com/p61T0ea9K9

— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) November 27, 2020    

#NagarjunaBesha of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha to be held after 26 years. This is celebrated in commemoration of killing of Sahashrarjuna by Parsuram or battle between Arjuna and his son Nagarjuna. Mahaprabhu is adorned with 16 types of weapons. JaiJagannatha pic.twitter.com/7KL4wnR3Wj

— Dr.Chandra Sekhar Khuntia (@drkhuntia21) November 27, 2020   

Today is the rare #NagarjunaBesha of #LordJagannath after 25 yrs. In this besha, the lord is decorated like a warrior honoring Parasurama, the warrior incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the holy month of #kartika.#panchuka#kartikamasa #panchuka_special_rangoli pic.twitter.com/324phhkuof

— Manaswini Satapathy (@satmanaswini) November 27, 2020   

On Thursday, the administration in Puri had imposed Section 144 in parts of the city to stop people from gathering in front of the Jagannath Temple. The restrictions will continue till 'Bhesha Olagi' or removal of the attire after the completion of rituals, said Puri's sub-divisional magistrate, Bhabataran Sahu. Devotees will be allowed to view the 'Patitapabana' only after the conclusion of rituals, officials said.