Under the First Full Moon at Puri | 3 January 2026

Some experiences arrive not through effort, but through blessing.

On the sacred sands of Puri, under the first full moon of the year, I stood where earth and sky dissolve into prayer - before Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra at the Mahaprabhu’s eternal home. On this extraordinary night of Magha Purnima, when the moon’s silver radiance graced the temple spires, the air was imbued with an energy that felt both ancient and alive. 

This night was more than a visit - it was a sacred alignment. Devotion deepened with every breath as countless glowing diyas mirrored the full moon’s glow, weaving a tapestry of earthly fire and celestial light. Those flames carried centuries of prayer - a hum of grace vibrating through the very stones beneath my feet.

What made this night even more poignant - more luminous - was the temple’s magnificent Suna Besha tradition. On specific full moon days in Magha (January) - including this night - the deities are adorned in golden attire, bedecked with intricate gold jewellery and ornaments that reflect and refract starlight. Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra shimmered like living embodiments of divine radiance, their forms crowned in gold that seemed to echo the moon’s own brilliance.

To witness that was to experience devotion in its most visible, most shining expression, as if the gods themselves were dressed in the light of the cosmos.

There was a rare stillness in the air - a silence deeper than mere quiet - inviting surrender rather than observation. In the hush between breaths, I felt devotion, art, and surrender merge into one. This was not ceremony; this was presence. This was being held.

As an Odissi dancer, the resonance of this moment was profound and ancestral. Every stance, every gesture I have ever carried was born here - in the temples and rituals of Odisha, where the body is not simply an instrument of expression, but a vessel of sacred dialogue. To stand here - not to perform, but to offer - was a deep homecoming. It was dance as prayer, movement as listening, breath as devotion.

I offer my deepest gratitude to those whose guidance, support, and care wove this night into reality. Their generosity didn’t just shape a journey - it transformed it into an offering.

Some moments cannot be explained. They are received. And once received, they stay with us forever.

Photos by Zlatko