Protecting the Lord
SARAT CHANDRA
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Ghodolagi Besha takes place soon after the bathing ritual.
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WINTER GEAR Lord Jagannath in the Ghodalagi Besha.
Arranging clothes artistically is an important practice in the Puri temple tradition. This practice becomes more prominent during the winter for two months — from the sixth day of Margasira to the Basanta Panchami day of Magha. During this 59-day period, using clothes artistically becomes more obvious because of a practice known as "Ghodalagi Besha" (the adornment of protective clothing.)
Clothes are lavishly used everyday to decorate Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. But during this 59-day period, when winter is at the peak the Lord is given proper protection from the chillness. Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra Devi are decked with many layers of clothes — Ghodalagi Besha.The highlight of the multi-layered costume is the velvet-based overcoat type one. The colour of the overcoat varies everyday — it is red on Sunday, white on Monday, green on Wednesday, yellow on Thursday, white on Friday and black on Saturday. On Tuesday it is a combination of five colours. Everyday these colour variations are observed. When the deities are dressed up (which is done thrice a day, apart from their early morning bathing costume and the late night Bada Singhara costume) one may notice a specified colour. But during the Ghodolagi Besha period the specific colour becomes more evident. The name is derived from ghodo — a garment that covers the entire idol, except the face. The outermost one is considered to be the overcoat.
Except for the ghodo, other costumes are either silk or cotton. Ghodolagi Besha takes place soon after the bathing ritual, and it continues till the late night Bada Singhara Besha.
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