The deities at the Jagannath temple are dressed and decorated daily. On special occasions the deities are dressed in clothes suitable for the occasion.

After the first aarti is over the ritual of the daily dressing begins. It consists of the following steps which are performed by the people designated for this.

• Mailama (taking off the clothes and flowers of the previous night)
• Tadapalagi - (putting on towels),
• Abakasa - (cleaning of teeth and bathing)
• Vesa - (dressing).

The deities are dressed in silk fabric, and adorned with flowers, tender leaves, and gold ornaments. Then sandal wood paste, musk, camphor are applied. On special occasions the deities wear different kinds of dresses. Some of these are related to the stories of Lord Krishna. Some of the special dresses and ornamentation are given below:

Chandana Bhesa: In the months of Vaisakha and Jyestha the sweet-scented sandalwood paste or Chandan is applied on the bodies of the deities.

Hati Bhesa: During the festival of the Snana Yatra, Lord Jagannatha is dressed like Ganesha, and thus bears the head of an ... More

The deities at the Jagannath temple are dressed and decorated daily. On special occasions the deities are dressed in clothes suitable for the occasion.

After the first aarti is over the ritual of the daily dressing begins. It consists of the following steps which are performed by the people designated for this.

• Mailama (taking off the clothes and flowers of the previous night)
• Tadapalagi - (putting on towels),
• Abakasa - (cleaning of teeth and bathing)
• Vesa - (dressing).

The deities are dressed in silk fabric, and adorned with flowers, tender leaves, and gold ornaments. Then sandal wood paste, musk, camphor are applied. On special occasions the deities wear different kinds of dresses. Some of these are related to the stories of Lord Krishna. Some of the special dresses and ornamentation are given below:

Chandana Bhesa: In the months of Vaisakha and Jyestha the sweet-scented sandalwood paste or Chandan is applied on the bodies of the deities.

Hati Bhesa: During the festival of the Snana Yatra, Lord Jagannatha is dressed like Ganesha, and thus bears the head of an elephant (Hati).

Nava Youvana Bhesa: On the eve of the famous Ratha Yatra festival, the deities, who have remained unseen for 15 days after the Snana Purnima, are dressed gorgeously. They wear such dresses which makes them look like persons at the commencement of their youth (Nava Youvana).

Suna Bhesa: After staying at the Gundicha temple, the deities are brought back to the Jagannath temple in the month of Asadha. At the main gate of the temple while they are still in their respective chariots, the Suna Bhesa (decoration with golden ornaments) takes place.

Chitalagi Bhesa: On the Amavasya of the month of Shravana, three magnificent ornaments of the forehead, or the chitas, are put on the head of the three principal deities. These are made of gold, diamond, sapphire and emerald.

Vana Bhoji Bhesa: Lord Krishna used to go to forests with his companions, who decorated him with the tendrils of the creepers, flowers and tender leaves of different colours. Keeping this in view, Lord Jagannatha is dressed in the month of Bhadra in the same manner.

Kaliyadalana Bhesa: Krishna had killed Kaliya, the venomous viper living on the banks of Yamuna, who had become a source of great danger to the people. In the month of Bhadra, the deities at Jagannath temple are dressed in remembrance of this incident and the actual scene of killing of the snake is performed in the premises of the sacred tank of Markanda.