Bhubaneswar: February 13: Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra shall be seen in Lotus Attire today. This Lotus Attire or Padma Besha is done on any Saturday or Wednesday between the new moon day of Magha and Basanta Panchami.
Devotees could not witness the Nagarjuna Besha held this year after 25 long years, due to COVID restrictions, but Jagannath lovers are excited about the opportunity to see this rare Padma Besha Darshan of the Mahaprabhu.
It is observed during the ‘Bada Singhara’ ritual and the deities adorn the Besha all through the night. On this day, a special Khiri ‘ Padma Khiri’ and Amalu (Malpua) are offered to the deities as per the tradition.
Bada Chhata Matha in Puri offers a Lotus dress known as the Padma Bhesha to the deities. The costumes were made of sol, zari, kadalipat, kana, kaitha glue and colors.
As per the researchers, a saint of Badchatamath, Raghubar Das had introduced this attire of Deities in the seventeenth century.
