beshas of shree jagannath...

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Odisha ReviewJune - 2012

Besha is a Sanskrit word, which means dress,costume or attire. Everyday from the ‘MangalaAlati’ till ‘Ratri Pahuda’, the deities on the‘Ratnavedi’ of Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri areadorned with cotton and silken fabrics, goldornaments studded with precious stones, flowersof several kinds and other leaves and herbs likeTulasi, Dayana, Marua etc. Sandal paste,camphor and at times precious musk are beingused in the daily and periodical rituals.

Cotton & Silken clothes include Tadapa,Uttariya, Paharana, Phuta, Srikapada,Baralagi Pata, Srimukhabala, Chadara, GitaGovinda Pata etc. Garlands and other floralornaments namely Adharmala, Chandrika,Gava, Alaka, Karapallava, Hruda Padaka,Kaustubha Padaka, Guna, Makara Kundala,Jhumpa, Tilaka, Kundala, Tadagi, Nakuasi,Sripayara Mala etc. are made out of prescribed typesof flowers, leaves of Tulasi(holy basil), Panasa(jackfruit) etc.

The rituals of the Lord is based onanthropomorphic equation, where worshippedGods are treated like human. Whether it is wakingup in the morning, taking an afternoon nap; orresting at night after dinner; the rites are modeledin a humanitarian way. It is stated that, the imageschange their clothes and wear different kinds ofornaments as many as eight times during a normalday.

There are specific categories of servitorsin the temple, who are experts in cladding thedeities in particular types of Besha. Three typesof servitors, namely Puspalaka (Singhari), Khuntiaand Changeda Mekap are entrusted with theresponsibility of daily decoration or Beshas of thedeities. But Palia Puspalaks are to decorate thedeities on every occasion.

The deities are mainly embellished in threeways; “Bastra Singhar”, “Puspa Singhar” &“Alankar Singhar”. Except on the festiveoccasions they are attired in the ‘Bastra Singhar’and ‘Puspa Singhar’ patterns.

DAILY BESHAS

Abakasha or Tadapa Uttari Besha :

Abakasha means the brushing of teeth andbathing rituals of the deities. This Besha is doneeveryday immediately after Mangala Alati. Theclothes, which are worn by the Deities for thispurpose are known as ‘Tadapa’ and ‘Uttariya’.

Beshas of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu

Bhaskar Mishra

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Odisha Review June - 2012

Sadha Besha :

Everyday the three deities are dressedwith following types of coloured Baralagi Pata(silken cloths) from Sunday to Saturday. Thecolour represents the colour of the planets.

Sunday - Red cloth

Monday - Whitish cloth decorated withblack spots.

Tuesday - Cloths mixed with five colours(Pancharangi)

Wednesday - Sky blue colour cloth.

Thursday - Yellow cloths.

Friday - White cloths.

Saturday - Violet colour.

Bada Singhar Besha :

The most important decoration of the dayis the Bada Singhara Besha. It is done every nightbefore the Ratri Pahuda (last ritual). Bada

Singhara Besha is usually made up of differenttypes of floral ornaments & Gita GovindaKhandua Pata (silken clothes set). Deities aredecorated with floral ornaments like Adhara,Jhumpa, Chandrika, Tilaka, Hruda Padaka,Kara Pallav, Guna, Gava and a number ofgarlands; some of these are inter-mixed with Tulsi

leaves. The deities wear silken clothes called‘Khandua’. An extract from the famous Sanskritverses of ‘Gita Govinda’ composed by therenowned poet Jayadeva is woven in the‘Khandua’ clothes.

The head is covered with a cloth calledSrikapada (cloth for the head). They are adornedwith Karapallava (hands). Padaka (circular lotuslike decoration with flowers). This is a veryattractive Besha and that till the following morningMangala Alati is offered to the deities they remainattired in this besha. Seeing the deities in thisbeautiful decoration is believed to be veryauspicious.

Since ‘Bada Singhara-costume’ isassociated with the bed time and relates to sleep& slumber the deities are served with all coolingredients. Sleep does not come easily withoutcoolness of the body. That is why sandal woodpaste is smeared on the holy bodies of the threedeities.

Puspalak (Singhari) ascends the pyramidladder (Katha Ghoda, length 6 feet breadth 1.5feet and height 2.5 feet) and adorns the heads ofthe Lord. Palia Puspalak Sevaks tie on to theheads the clothes called ‘Srikapada’, put flowerornaments like ‘Alaka’ on the face with ‘Kundal’and ‘Chandrika’ etc. In their particular costumea laterally multifolded saree is stuck on to each.The floral ornaments like ‘Nakuasi’ &‘Nakachana’ are put on the noses and‘Adharmala’ are made to be hung around thearms. Below this, another garland hangs which iscalled ‘Chausaramala’. Three huge attractivelockets called as ‘Hruda Padaka’ are stuck tothe middle of the chest of three deities. ThePuspalaka having completed the embellishment,through flowers, sprays camphor powder onthem. In the navels ‘Nakha Tulasi’ (a mixture ofcrusted Tulasi leaves and camphor) is pasted.

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The devotees wait eagerly late in the nightto watch this costume-based institution. Thiseagerness of the devotees and their pious desireand love have effected a bond, a bridge betweenman and God; between worshippers and theworshipped over the centuries.

Costumes on various festival occasion :

During the celebration of differentfestivals, the deities change their dresses and puton different categories of ceremonial costumesor dresses according to the nature of the festival.The Beshas are indeed, an important aspect ofthe festival, which draws large crowd.

Lord Shree Jagannatha has generallybeen identified with Lord Bishnu. But on certainparticular festive occasions, the deities aredecorated with different masquerades such asGajanana Besha, Nagarjun Besha, Padma Besha,Trivikram Besha, Kaliyadalan Besha,Gajauddharana Besha, Radha Damodar Beshaetc. It is so because Jagannatha cultureencompasses within itself various cults such asVaishnavism, Shakta-cult, Saivism, Ganapatyacult and the tribal forms of worship. As such, theBeshas of Lord Shree Jagannatha symbolise asort of religious and cultural synthesis, hence thethree deities are decorated in such a way as tosatisfy the spiritual aspiration of different sects,groups and sub-groups. These Beshas are mainlyrelated to Lilas of Krushna, Rama, Baman,Ganesh etc.

Some important festive Beshas of theDeities are mentioned below.

Chandana Besha :

The word ‘Chandana’ means sandalwood, the sweet-scented paste of which issmeared on the divine body of the deities in themonth of Baishakha and Jyeshtha, spreading over42 days during Chandana Yatra beginning from

Akshaya Trutiya Tithi (third day of bright fortnightof Baishakha).

Gajanana or Hati Besha :

The annual cycle of festivals of ShreeJagannath Temple begins with the Snana Yatra(the bathing ceremony) which takes place on thefull-moon day of Jyeshtha (May-June). Gajananaor Hati Besha is done on the occasion of SnanaYatra.

On the Snana Purnima day, the deitiesare taken out to the Snana Vedi (the bathingplatform). After the ceremonial bath, the deitiesare dressed like Gajanana which is locally knownas Hati Besha. Since it is a general practice amongthe Hindus that Lord Ganesh is worshipped atthe beginning of every religious rite, Lord ShriJagannatha is decorated as Ganesh during His firstannual Yatra. It is also stated that He is dressedas Ganesh to satisfy the followers of theGanapatya sect.

According to Dardhyata Bhakti, oneGanapati Bhatta, a devotee of Ganesh, who hadcome from Karnataka, was disappointed not tosee the Ganapati image on the bathing platform.To satisfy the religious sentiment of this devotee,to the surprise of all the assembled, the Lordappeared with the mask of pachyderm. Since thatday, the Gajanana or Hati Besha of the deities isbeing donned on the day of Jyeshtha Purnima.

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This Besha is chiefly conducted by the PaliaPuspalak, Khuntia, Mekap & Daitapatis on thisday. Lord Shree Jagannath and Balabhadraassume Gajanana Besha. The Raghav Das Mathaand Gopaltirtha Matha respectively supply theabove Besha materials as per prolonged tradition.

Pilgrims and general public are allowedto go upto the limits of Snana Mandap to have aDarshan of attractive Gajanana Besha of thedeities without paying any fee during ‘SahanaMela’ period.

Padma Besha :

Any Saturday or Wednesday between thenew moon day of the month of Magha and BasantaPanchami is chosen for the Padma Besha. It ismade during the ‘Bada Singhara’ ritual at nightand the deities remain with the Besha throughoutthe night. This Besha takes place to perpetuatethe legendary memory of a devotee, who hadbrought the lotus flowers from a very longdistance to decorate the God.

The big petals of lotus adorn the faces ofthe deities in the shape of a disc. Shree Balabhadraand Shree Jagannatha hold lotus buds in theirhands. Three triangular crowns made up of lace(crepe) and cloth are decorated with innumerablelotus flowers. Now-a-days flowers made of laceare used instead of natural flowers. It is interestingto note that four swans are projected in this Besha

and are seen with the lotus stalks. Perhaps theaddition of the swans with the lotus stalks hasbeen made, so that the Besha would appear morelively.

There is an interesting episode related tothis Besha. As the story follows-long long agothere was a devotee named Manohar Das, livingin the village Shahpur on the banks of the sacredriver Rishikulya. With a strong desire to have adarshan of the Lords, Manohar started his journeyby walking from the distant village toShreekshestra Puri. He brought with him a basketfull of lotus flowers covered with a towel(gamuchha). In course of his long journey he cameacross a number of tanks. At every tank he keptsome new flowers on the basket and poured wateron the old ones to make them fresh. At last hereached Shreekshetra and halted at Bada ChhataMatha, just adjacent to the Lions’ Gate ofSreemandir. The trouble of the long & painfuljourney could not deter him for his lofty hope thathe would offer the flowers to the Lord whichenlivened his spirit.

With that simple faith and devotion heentered inside the temple. The priests of the templesaw the pitiable condition of the old man. Theyasked him about the thing he kept in the basketcovering a towel. He showed them the flowerswhich were stale and stinking by that time. Thepriests threw the rotten flowers in the kitchen drainof the Temple and beat him cruelly for hismadness. Due to severe injury and mental shockManohar Das fell down on the ground andbecame unconscious. In the night the dwellers ofBada Chhata Matha brought him back and puthim to rest. Lord Shree Jagannath appeared inthe dream of the ruling king at night and askedhim to go immediately to Manohar and considerthe matter with all kindness. The king called theRajguru and explained the theme of the dream.

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The Rajguru took Manohar inside the Temple;with much care collected the thrown away flowersand adorned the deities with those flowers as tofulfill the wish of Manohar.

Surprisingly those flowers looked brightpink and emanated divine and sweet fragrance.The blessing of the Lord to Bhakta Manoharcould be heard from the void.

To perpetuate this incident Padma Beshais being done every year during the said period.As per tradition the Besha materials are beingprovided by the Bada Chhata Matha. The Mathaalso offers Khiri (porridge) which is called PadmaBesha Khiri and is being distributed among theSevakas, employees of the Temple and disciplesof the Matha the following day.

Suna (Gold) Besha :

The famous Suna (gold) Besha takesplace on Asadha Sukla Ekadasi Tithi (the 11thday of the bright fortnight in Asadha) when thedeities are in Their respective chariots in front ofthe Lions Gate of Shree Jagannatha Temple on

their return journey from Car Festival. This Beshais also known as ‘Bada Tadhau Besha’. Thedeities are decorated with various types of goldornaments like gold diadems, hands and feet madeof gold. Lord Shree Jagannath holds a goldChakra (disc) in His right hand and a silver conch

in the left hand. Lord Shree Balabhadra wields agolden plough in His left hand, a gold mace in Hisright hand.

This Besha is also done on the Tithis likeVijaya Dasami (Dasahara), Kartika Purnima, DolaPurnima and Pousa Purnima (Pushyabhiseka).The Palia Puspalak, Bhitarchha Mohapatra,Talichha Mohapatra, Daitapatis, Khuntia andMekap Sevaks are involved to decorate thisgorgeously Besha on the chariots. Lakhs ofdevotees irrespective of caste, creed and religionhave a chance for darshan of the above Besha onthe chariots during evening hours.

Banabhoji Besha :

Since Lord Shree Jagannatha has beenidentified with Krushna, incidents connected withthe life of the latter have been inseparablyassociated with Shree Jagannatha. The birthdayof Lord Krushna is celebrated on the 8th day ofthe dark fortnight of Bhadraba. Nandotsav isobserved from the day following onwards andcertain rituals relating to Krushna Lila, likeBanabhoji, Kolibika, Bakasura and AghasuraBadha, Kaliyadalan, Dhenuka and PralambasuraBadha are also celebrated for some days.

Banabhoji Besha is done on the 10th dayof the dark fortnight of Bhadrab. The deities aredressed like cowherd boys, as if they are goingto attend a picnic.

Kaliyadalana Besha :

As per the Puranic lores, Kaliya, thevenomous serpent (Vipor) living on the banks ofYamuna was a source of great danger to thepopulace and Krushna had killed it. To remindthis incident this Besha takes place on BhadrabaKrushna Ekadasi Tithi (the 11th day of the darkfortnight in Bhadraba). Lord Shree Jagannath isdressed like Krushna killing the Kaliya serpent.The actual scene of killing the demon-like snake

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is also dramatised in the sacred tank of Markandaalongwith characters enacting the scene.

Pralambasura Badha Besha :

It is done on Bhadraba KrushnaDwadasi Tithi (the 12th day of the dark fortnightin Bhadraba).

A demon, Pralamba by name, was killedby Balaram, the elder brother of Krushna. SoBalabhadra wears this Besha in the month ofBhadraba.

Krusna Balaram Besha :

This Besha is done on Bhadraba KrushnaTrayodasi Tithi (the 13th day of the dark fortnightin Bhadraba). In this Besha Shree Jagannatha &Shree Balabhadra are dressed like Lord Krushna& Lord Balaram. This Besha attests the deepimpact of Krushna cult in the Shri JagannathTemple. Previously a Besha known as ‘GiriGobardhana’ was done in the Temple by thefamous Bada Odia Matha. For some reason thisBesha has been discontinued and KrushnaBalaram Besha is introduced in its place. OneZamindar of Choudhury Bazaar, Cuttack hasprovided the entire cost of the above Beshamaterials.

Baman Besha :

On Bhadraba Sukla Dwadasi Tithi (the12th day of the bright fortnight in Bhadraba), ShriJagannatha is dressed as like Bamana theincarnation of Bishnu. Notably, Baman is the fifthincarnation of Lord Bishnu. According to thePuranic story, Bishnu had appeared in the fromof a Bamana (dwarf) and through his ingenuity,outwitted the famous demon king Bali and pushedhim down to the subterranean with his foot.

Raja Besha :

This Besha takes place on VijayaDashami Tithi (Dasahara) in the month of Aswina.

The word Raja means the ‘king’. Hence,this Besha denotes the dress of a sovereign.Jagannatha was regarded as the King of Odishasince the rule of Ganga dynasty and this Besha ofShree Jagannatha continues from those days.

Radha-Damodar Besha :

The auspicious Radha Damodar Beshaof the deities in Shree Jagannath Temple is beingheld every year from the 11th day of bright fortnightof Aswina to the 10th day of bright fortnight ofKartika. It is ascertained form the mythology that

Akrura, on his way to Mathura, has witnessedthis Radha Damodar Besha while taking bath inthe river Yamuna. It is noteworthy that thisattractive besha is being performed during theentire period in the month of Karttika. LateSadasiba Rathasharma, an eminent research-scholar of Sreemandir has mentioned in his book“Sri Jagannath Besha Rahashya” that this Beshahas been introduced since 12th century. Duringthe 12th century and after that “Radha” becamefamous throughout India after being made a femaleprotagonist in Gitagovinda written by Jayadev.The depiction of Radha was widely published andcirculated through the literary works of poetJayadeva of Odisha, Chandi Das of Bengal andVidyapati of Mithila. Radha was worshipped as“Devi” by Bishnuswami, Nimbarka and SriChaitanya.

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Others point out that this Besha has beenintroduced in Shreemandir since 16th century, i.e.during the arrival of Srichaitanya in Puri. Accordingto Srichaitanya, Shree Jagannath is a compositefigure of Shree Radha and Sri Krishna. This spirithas been revealed in Radha Damodar Besha. Inthe opinion of many research scholars, the nitisand Beshas based on the performance ofShreekrishna were introduced in Shreemandir byGajapati Purusottam Dev. But it is presumed thatthe Laxminarayan Besha of Lord Jagannath hasstarted from the ancient time i.e. by the end of12th century or at the beginning of 13th century.Particularly it is ascertained that Thiakia Besha,Bankachuda Besha, Dalikia Besha, AdikiaBesha and Raja Beshas of the deities wereintroduced during the sojourn of ShriNimbarkacharya at Sreekshetra, Puri, i.e. duringthe period from the 11th day of the bright fortnightof Karttika till the fullmoon day.

It is described in the Record of Rightsand at Sl.No. 22(a) of the list of other festivals ofSrimandir that all Nitis, Beshas, Bhogas as wellas Vrata for the month of Karttik start from the11th day of bright fortnight of Aswina. The offeringof lamp (dipa) and Avakasha rituals are held atthe dawn and then Gopalballav Bhoga is offeredto the deities just after the Radha Damodar Besha.Then the Sakal Dhupa (morning bhoga) is offeredto the deities and after that sprinkling of water isdone. The items for Baladhupa are brought upby the Sevakas concerned and are offered to theDeities. Lamp offering is also made after the BalaDhupa.

The Radha-Damodar Besha of the deitieswhich starts from 11th day of bright fortnight ofAswina continues upto the 10th day of brightfortnight of Karttika.

In Radhadamodar Besha, Lord ShreeJagannath and Lord Shree Balabhadra put on

“Trikachha”. They also hold a pair of golden“Nalibhuja” in their hands. The “Chula” made outof bamboo and cloths is placed on the “Trimundi”and the Chandrika placed in the Chula looks verydescent. The Deities also put on different typesof golden ornaments such as Ear-Rings on theears, Odiani on their waist and Tadaki, Chandra,Surya, Chita etc. on their heads. They also puton ornaments made up of flowers and differenttypes of clothes such as ‘Pata’, ‘Phuta’,‘Srikapada’, ‘Paharana’, ‘Bali’,‘Adharabala’, & ‘Uttaria’ etc.

List of Golden Ornaments used in Radha-Damodar Besha :

1. Golden necklace - 3 (Balabhadra, Subhadra & Jagannath)

2. Odiani - 3 -do-

3. Chandra Surya - 2 (Balabhadra, Jagannath)

4. Chandrika - 2 -do-

5. Tilaka - 2 -do-

6. Nalibhuja - 4 -do-

7. Kundala (Earring) - 4 -do-

8. Tadagi - 2 (Subhadra)

This auspicious Radha-Damodar Beshaof the Jews on the Ratnasimhasana looks reallysplendid, for the deities put on different types of‘Pata’ (silken clothes) and Golden ornaments.Previously only ‘Ballav’ ‘Sakala Dhupa’ washeld in this Besha. In subsequent period anotherBhoga namely ‘Baladhupa’ was added to thisBesha.

Pilgrims as well as devotees in thousandwho observe the Karttika Vrata remain presentin Shreemandir to witness this blissful Radha-Damodar Besha of the Jews.

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Harihara Besha :

During the time span of the Radha-Damodar Besha of Shree Jagannatha on eachMonday, Harihara Besha of Lord ShreeBalabhadra is done for a fortnight, i.e. from thedarkmoon day till the fullmoon day. In this Besha,half of the body of Balabhadra looks blackishwhile the other half looks whitish, which connotesthat one half of His body is Bishnu and the otherhalf is Siba (Hara).

Lakshmi-Narayana Besha :

This besha is also known as ‘ThiakiaBesha’. It is done on the 11th day of the brightfortnight of Karttika. It is stated that the worshipof Lakshmi and Narayana has gained popularityin Jagannatha consciousness, since the visit ofRamanuja, the great religious preacher to this holyland of Shreekshetra Puri.

Bankachuda Besha :

It is done on Karttika Sukla Dwadasi Tithi(the 12th day of the bright fortnight in Karttika).This is similar to that of Lakshmi-Narayan Beshawith addition of golden headgear.

Adakia Besha :

This Besha is also known as ‘TribikramBesha’. It is done on Karttika Sukla Trayodasi(the 13th day of the bright fortnight in Karttika).

Dalikia Besha :

This Besha is done on Karttika SuklaChaturdasi tithi (the 14th day of the bright fortnightof Karttika). This is also known as Lakshmi-Nrushingha Besha. The very name of thedecoration indicates that the powerful cult ofNrusimha was given due recognition andimportance in Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri.

Nagarjuna Besha :

This Besha takes place in such years inwhich there are six days of ‘Panchaka’ in lieu of5 in the month of Karttika. On that occasion ShreeJagannath and Shree Balabhadra are dressed likeNagarjuna (a military general) on this extra day.

In the recent past this Besha solemnized on16.11.1994. The previous four such dates were26.11.1966, 16.11.1967, 3.11.1968 and26.11.1993.

Raja Rajeswar Besha :

This Besha takes place on KarttikaPurnima Tithi (fullmoon day of Karttika). Largenumbers of devotees are allowed to go up toRatnasinghasan and have a darshan of the abovegorgeous Besha of the Lords and be blessedthemselves.

Ghodalagi Besha :

Ghodalagi means specially designedwinter dresses for the deities installed at“Ratnasinghasan”. During the period from the 6thday of the bright fortnight of Margasira to the 5thday of the bright fortnight of Magha (BasantaPanchami Tithi), the deities wear winter clothes.

Jamalagi Besha :

From Basanta Panchami to Dola Purnima(fullmoon day of Chaitra), the Deities wearmodified winter dress known as ‘Jamalagi Besha’.

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Sraddha Besha :

Shree Jagannatha puts on this Besha inthe month of Margasira for three days during‘Deva Dipabali’ occasion. Sraddha means theofferings made out of love to expired forefathers.Such rites observed for the departed souls(parents and fore fathers) are called Sraddha. Inthe month of Margasira, Shree Jagannath performsthe Sraddha in favour of Nanda, Basudeva andDasaratha. We know that Bishnu was born asthe eldest son of Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhyaand was named Ramachandra. Again in theDwapara Yuga, His birth took place as the son ofBasudeva in a prison in Mathura, whence he wasmysteriously taken out and delivered to Nanda,the king of Braja, who nourished Him like his ownson and came to be known as the second fatherof Krushna. In this Sraddha Besha, special ritesare observed in the temple for three days. BadaOdia Matha is supplying the Sraddha materialsto the Temple as per tradition. The deities wearwhite clothes on this occasion.

Chacheri Besha :

From the 10th day of the bright fortnightof Phalguna to the fullmoon day except the 14thday, this Besha takes place. According to the age-old tradition prevailing all over India, people playwith coloured powder (Phagu) and color-smearfriends and relatives. Shree Jagannath is the bestrepresentative of the people and He is also shownas sharing the experiences of the people by playingwith rosy red powder (known as Phagu/Abira).

Gaja Uddharana Besha :

The famous Gaja Uddharana Besha isdone on Magha Purnima tithi (the fullmoon dayof Magha). This Besha depicts an epic story asto how Lord Bishnu saved a helpless elephantfrom the clutches of a crocodile. In the time ofyore an elephant was attacked by a ferocious

crocodile. Finding no other way to save his life,this animal implored the mercy of Bishnu. Itssincere prayers immediately moved Bishnu tocompassion and He hurled His disc to cut theattacking alligator into pieces.

Shree Jagannatha, who is identified withBishnu, wears this Besha to inspire a sense ofdevotion to the grace of God.

The total expenditure in connection withpreparation of this Besha was being given by lateIla Panda, a renowned Industrialist of Odisha forthe last 28 years. In this Besha, the fooding isoffered to the deities and distributed to the Sevaksof the temple and donor concerned.

Raghunatha Besha :

This Besha is observed in the month ofChaitra (March-April). In this Besha, Lord ShreeJagannatha is dressed like ShreeRama and holdsa bow and an arrow. Laxman, Bharat, Satrughan,

Hanuman and other figures made out of solapithand wooden twigs are displayed on theRatnasinghashan. It is observed in remembranceof ShreeRama, who is an incarnation of LordBishnu. This Besha has been discontinued sincelast hundred years. The eventual Raghunath Beshaof the deities was held in 19th century in the year1805.

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Besides these Beshas, there are also anumber of other Beshas observed in the Srimandir.While all Beshas are solemnized inside the Temple,only three Beshas i.e. Suna (Gold) Besha,Abakash Besha, Badasinghara Besha takes placeoutside the Temple during Ratha Yatra period.

Lord Shree Jagannatha as the symbol ofintegration of various sects of Sanatana Dharmais indicated from the above facts and consideringthe variety of costumes and the symbolic occasionfor putting on such mosaic of attire.

The Indian Names of the months and theircorresponding English Names

1. Vaisakha - April-May

2. Jyestha - May-June

3. Ashadha - June-July

4. Shravana - July-August

5. Bhadraba - August-September

6. Aswina - September-October

7. Karttika - October-November

8. Margasira - November-December

9. Pousha - December-January

10. Magha - January-Frebruary

11. Phalguna - February-March

12. Chaitra - March-April

Beshas (Festive Dresses)

1. Ganesh Besha : On the Snana Purnima day the deities are dressed asGanesh on the Snana Vedi. This is also called Hati Besha

2. Suna Besha : The Deities are dressed in gold in the car on the 11th dayof the bright fortnight of Asadha after the Return Car Festivalis over. Suna Besha is also done on some other occasions.

3. Bana Bhoji Besha, Kaliyadalana : On the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th day of the darkBesha, Pralambasura Badha Besha, fortnight of Bhadrab respectively.Krushna, Balaram Besha

4. Raja Besha : On the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Aswina.

5. Radha-Damodar Besha : From the 11th day of the bright fortnight of Aswina to the10th day of the bright fortnight of Karttika.

6. Lakshmi Narayan (Thiakia)Besha, : On the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and full moon day of theBankachuda (Baman)Besha,Tribikram Karttika respectively.(Adakia)Besha, Nrusingha (Dalikia)Besha, Lakshmi Narayan (RajaRajeswar) Besha, Nagarjun(Parasuram) Besha

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Nagarjun (Parasuram) Besha : On the 13th or 14th day of the bright fortnight ofKarttika. This festive dressing of the Lord is occasionallydone.

7. Sadha Besha or Ghodalagi Besha : From Odhan Sasthi to Basanta Panchami in the monthsof Margasira and Pousha.

8. Jamalagi Besha : From Basanta Panchami to Dola.

9. Padma Besha : On any Saturday or Wednesday between the new moonday of Magha and Basanta Panchami.

10. Gaja Uddharan Besha : On the full moon day of Magha.

11. Chacheri Besha : From the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Phalguna tothe full mon day except the 14th day.

12. Chandanlagi Besha : For 42 days starting from the Akshaya Trutiya day i.e.the 3rd day of the bright frotnight of Baisakha.

(Source : District Gazetteer, Puri, Page-833/834)

References :

1. “NEELADRI” English Special Issue-1999, Page-36, 37, 38.

2. Jagannatha Puri - Temple Publication, page-46.

3. A Brief look at Shri Jagannatha Temple, byMahimohan Tripathy,

Fourth Review Edition-July-2003, Page-44, Puri.

4. Orissa Review, June-2006 Issue.

5. Orissa Review, June-July-2007 Issue

6. Orissa Review, July - 2002, Page-56-57.

7. Shri Jagannath Temple Record of Rights.

8. Shri Jagannathanka Besha Baisistya (Odia)-byBhaskar Mishra 2nd Revised Edition-2004., Puri.

9. Orissa Review-July-199 Issue, Page-73, 74.

Bhaskar Mishra, Deputy Administrator,Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri.

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