‘Adapa Bije’ Mishap Occurred As ‘Bhog’ Was Not Offered To Puri Jagannath Temple Lords: Chief Badagrahi

Puri: As the row over falling of Lord Balabhadra on ‘charamala’ during Adapa Bije Pahandi rituals continues to rage, Chief Badagrahi of Lord Balabhadra, Haladhar Das Mohapatra, on Saturday said the incident occurred as Badathakura (lord Balabhadra) was hungry.

He also questioned the conduct of ‘Nabajouban Darshan’ and ‘Netra Utsav’ along with Gundicha Yatra on the same day. “The rituals have to be conducted over 2 days. On the first day, the Lords are offered ‘Arna Bhog’ after taking on Nabajouban Besha since they have been keeping ill and served only fruits. But bhoga was not offered to the deities at Shree Gundicha. The incident occurred as Badathakura was hungry,” he told a local channel.

“How ‘Agyan Mala’ went from Anasara Ghara to the chariots when ‘Nabajouban Darshan’ and ‘Netra Utsav’ and other rituals were not conducted?” he further questioned.

He also blamed the ‘indiscipline’ servitors for the incident. “There were excess servitors at the back and they kept tugging the rope tied to the top of the idol of Lord Balabhadra, which then loosened and the idol fell facedown. They caused inconvenience to those assigned the task,” he said.

He added that it is the duty of the temple administration to check such indiscipline.

No comments obtained from SJTA in this regard.

On Friday, STJA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said that any act of indiscipline on the chariots or during the rituals will be dealt with strictly. Overcrowding of the three chariots – Taladhwaja, Darpadalana and Nandighosha – will be prevented by allowing only designated servitors on the chariots during Bahuda, Niladri Bije and other rituals. Mobile phones will also not be allowed atop the chariots, he added.

Stating that the temple administration is totally focussed on smooth conduct of the remaining rituals, he urged the servitors to perform their respective assignments on time as any deviation from the schedule will only bring disrepute to the culture of the temple and the festival.