Overwhelmed with emotion, Bhatta realized that all deities are one and same. Lord Jagannath had taken the form of lord Ganesha just to fulfill his devotees wish.
Why does lord Jagannath dress in Hathi Besha?: On the auspicious occasion of Snana Purnima, Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings, takes a ceremonial bath on the Snana Mandap. After this sacred bathing ritual with 108 pitchers of fragrant water, Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra are adorned in ‘Hathi Besha’. While goddess Subhadra is adorned in a beautiful Padma(Lotus) Besha.
According to mythological folklore, there was a staunch devotee of lord Ganesha named Ganapati Bhatta. The then king of Puri invited him to witness the grand bathing ceremony. Initially, Bhatta declined, stating he only worshipped elephant-headed Lord Ganesha. Later on, bowing to the king’s firm resolve, Bhatta reluctantly agreed to witness the ceremonial bath. He arrived in Puri all the way from Maharastra to catch a divine glimpse of lord Jagannath. However, he was dissatisfied as he could not find his god(Ganesha) within Lord Jagannath at the Snana Mandap. He was returning home with disappointment. Upon seeing his devotee in distress, Lord Jagannath disguised as a priest. Lord insisted him to return to the temple where he could see his lord Ganesh.
When Bhatta returned to the snana mandap, he was astonished to see Lord Jagannath and Lord Balaram in form of lord Ganesha. Overwhelmed with emotion, Bhatta realized that all deities are one and same. Lord Jagannath had taken the form of lord Ganesha just to fulfill his devotees wish. Since then, the deities are being adorned with ‘Gajanan Besha’ in honour of Ganapati Bhatta every year on Jyestha Purnima.
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