Puri: In a rare gesture, Odia actor Sabyasachi Mohapatra has taken the initiative to revive performance of puja and rituals of the deities of a Jagannath temple in Uttarakhand.
Speaking to media persons here on Saturday, Sabyasachi said Janarddhan Pattajoshi Mohapatra, a member of Chhattisha Nijog of Jagannath temple in Puri, came to know that the puja of the Lords in the temple at Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand was not being performed nor prasad offered regularly. As a result, the devotees were not visiting the temple which was also in a neglected condition.
Extremely pained by the news that the Lords were going without food in the temple, the servitor sought the help of Sabyasachi. Fortunately, the actor along with his actress wife Archita was present in Uttarkashi for shooting of a film at the time.
Sabyasachi and Archita went to the temple in Sald village near the district headquarters of Uttarkashi and took stock of the situation by interacting with the priests there. They mobilised the devotees from the Sald and nearby villages to visit the temple. Later, the actor couple accompanied by the villagers went to the temple, performed puja and offered prasad to the deities.
“During our interaction with the local people, we came to know that Lord Jagannath is their presiding deity. Even the Lord finds mention in the folk song and traditional song during the marriages. We were as much surprised as happy that Lord Jagannath is also worshipped in this remote place of the country,” said Sabyasachi.
He further said he has taken the responsibility of all rituals of the temple for next 6 months and told the local devotees to take care of the Lords.
The temple, located at a height of around 3000 feet above the sea level, is one of the oldest temples of Jagannath. Unlike other temple, the Lord is worshipped here in the form of stones.
