Baripada: Hundreds of devotees witnessed the Suna Besha (golden attire) of the presiding deity Maa Kichakeswari (goddess Chamunda) at Khiching shrine in Mayurbhanj district, which was observed today on the occasion of Kartik Purnima.

The annual ritual was performed after a gap of three years following the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. A large number of devotees from and outside the district thronged the shrine to have a glimpse of the divine ritual. The temple was decorated with marigold flowers. Suna Besha rituals were started at around 7.00 am. Anna Prasad (rice offering) was distributed among devotees.

“I feel immensely happy that I could have Darshan of Maa (the Goddess). This is a rare and auspicious occasion when Suna Besha is observed on Holy Kartik Purnima Day,” a female devotee said.

“Suna Besha is held on every Kartik Purnima, which was not done for two years due to Covid and a year thereafter due to a lunar eclipse,” a priest of the temple Dillip Panigrahy expressed.

Worth mentioning, goddess Kichakeswari was the Ishta Devata of Bhanja Dynasty. The original temple dates back to the 9th Century, with repairs done at different times over the years. The Bada Deula (main temple) of Maa Kichakeswari has a height of around 100 feet.