Overview
- The Suna Besha, which took place on Saturday, July 25, drew more than 15 lakh devotees and saw Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra dressed with about 208 kilograms of ornaments from the temple treasury.
- Authorities deployed over 13,000 police and CAPF personnel and used more than 400 AI-enabled CCTV cameras, drone surveillance and an Integrated Crowd Control Centre for real-time monitoring and crowd control.
- Heavy traffic on the Bhubaneswar–Puri NH-316 corridor produced long waits at entry points with Maltipatpur and Batagaon reporting delays of roughly two to three hours as vehicles were admitted based on available parking.
- The festival moved to its final rites with the Adhara Pana pots offered and broken on the chariots on Sunday, July 26, and Niladri Bije with Rasagola Dibasa marking the formal conclusion on Monday, July 27.
- The ritual continuity rests on centuries-old practice linked to 15th-century Gajapati donations, living crafts such as the Tahia floral crowns, and temple plans to refurbish and commission new ornament sets to preserve the tradition.