Puri, July 4: Lakhs of devotees today turned up to witness the suna besha (golden attire) of Lord Jagannath and His siblings. Seated in their respective chariots - Nandighosh, Taladhwaj and Debadalan - the deities wore gold ornaments weighing more than 208kg.

The deities donned huge golden limbs as well as crowns that required around 25 bhandara mikapa servitors (store keepers of the deities' ornaments) to carry them up on the chariots.

"In the suna besha, one will see the God as a human being with hands and feet. It is really astounding to see the deities with their golden hands and feet. I have never missed the suna besha in 20 years," said Prabodh Kumar Das, 56.

The deities will be taken inside the temple on July 6.

The gold ornaments, which are worth over Rs 54 crore and weigh 208kg, are adorned with various precious stones. The origin of this special avatar of the Trinity, which is held every year on the day after bahuda yatra, is rooted in history. It was in 1430 when King Kapilendra Deb returned victorious from a war with the Deccan rulers. As a token of love for Lord Jagannath, he dedicated the gold acquired in the war to the deity.

These were moulded into ornaments and the deities wore them during the suna besha held within the temple. Soon, on the request of the priests, the suna besha was conducted on the chariots, so that devotees, irrespective of caste or religion, could view the rare sight of the idols.

Not just the deities, even some servitors attracted the attention of devotees with the gold ornaments they wore.

"Since it is our programme, we want to celebrate it with putting on new clothes and gold ornaments," said chief badagrhai (protector) of Jagannath, Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, 64.

The decoration of the gold ornaments started around 5pm and continued till late in the night.

The bhandara mekapa (store keeper) brought the gold ornaments from the bhandara ghara (store room of the ornaments) under the watchful eyes of security officials. Senior officials keep a strict vigil through the CCTV. They carried the ornaments from the storehouse and handed them over to the puspalaka daitapati (servitors). Chief administration of Shree Jagannath Temple P.K. Jena said: "We are appealing all the devotees to come in a queue and get a glimpse of the deities. We want everyone to get the Lord's blessings."

Hundreds of armed security personnel were present to ensure the ritual took place smoothly.