Puri: The German legend Pied Piper from Hamelin is perhaps what Jagannath Temple in Puri needs to get rid of rodent infestation, which is causing distress to the shrine authorities.
The rodents, whose numbers increased manifold in the absence of devotees during the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown, have reportedly nibbled away the attire of Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra seated on the ‘Ratna Singhasan’ (sacred altar) in the shrine. “During Khasapada Niti yesterday, we found that the rats had nibbled away valuable attires of the gods and had devoured flowers offered to them,” said a servitor.
The idols are safe, he added.
Puspalaks or Singhari sevaks are entrusted with dressing up the deities with clothes and flowers and they often find those having nibbled away by rats and cockroaches. They also find it difficult to perform rituals amid the rodents and their wastes. The servitors have now demanded a steel grille around the idols to stop the menacing rodents causing any further damage.
Recently, the Jagannath temple administration removed a rat repellent machine, which was donated by a devotee, from the 12th century shrine following opposition by servitors, who complained that the humming sound of the gadget was disturbing the sleep of sibling deities. It is continuing with the common practice of laying traps to catch rats and later release them outside.
The administration has also decided to use narrow-headed pitchers and put jaggery inside them to trap rats.
Notably, the servitors are not permitted to kill animals or poison them inside the temple. “The temple records of rights (ROR) mention how to deal with rodents, bats, and monkeys found on the temple premises. One cannot take away the life of any living creature as stipulated by the temple rules,” Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in the Jagannath culture, told Outlook.
