Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath held

Bhubaneswar: After 26 years, the rare Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath and his divine siblings was held at Puri Srimandir with the deities taking the form of Naga warriors.

The rituals were performed only in presence of servitors and temple officials due to Covid-19 restrictions. The devotees were not allowed to witness the Nagarjuna Besha due to the pandemic.

On this occasion, the deities were dressed up with golden attire and adorned with 16 different traditional arm and armours.

The Nagarjuna Besha of the deities is being held after 25 years. It was last observed back in November, 1994.

It is observed in the year when Panchuka (the last five days of the Holy month of Kartika) is observed for six days.

On the occasion of Nagarjuna Besha, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand art at the Puri beach.