Disruption In Jagannath Temple Rituals: Did The Minister Lie?

Bhubaneswar: While resentment is brewing over disruption in rituals of the sibling deities at the Jagannath Temple in Puri for the last three days, Law Minister Pratap Jena’s statement on the issue in Odisha Assembly on Wednesday has not gone down well with devotees and servitors, who have accused him of lying and misleading the House and people of Odisha.

While Niti (ritual) records of Jagannath Temple clearly mentions that the Lords were not offered bhog during the food offering rituals from 4.40 pm on April 16 till 1 am on April 18, how could the minister, on what basis, give such an erroneous statement?

As per the Niti records, the Lords went hungry for about 32 hours.

On the reopening of the Jagmohan on April 16, the servitors performed Sakala Dhupa (morning food offering ritual) of the Lords around 4.40 pm after a delay of about five hours due to a faceoff between the servitors and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) over the directive of the Orissa High Court on entry of Palia Sevayats inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

Due to inordinate delay, the Bhog Mandap rituals of the Lords could not be performed. As a result, Mahaprasad prepared by the servitors of Suara-Mahasuara Nijog, could not be offered to the Lords and remained inside the temple kitchen. Protesting against the delay in the conduct of the rituals, the Suara-Mahasuara Nijog staged a dharna demanding compensation towards the loss it had incurred.

Expressing resentment over SJTA’s inaction, the servitors’ bodies did not perform any ritual including Madhyanna Dhupa (afternoon food offering ritual) and Sandhya Dhupa (evening food offering ritual), though Mailam (change or removal of dresses and flowers) and Beshalagi (dressing up the deities) rituals were performed after Sakala Dhupa. As a result, the Lords had to go without bhog the whole day.

The impasse continued on April 17. Though Abakasha Niti (brushing of teeth and bathing of deities) of the Lords were performed at 8 am, the agitating servitors stayed away from performing Ballav and Sakala Dhupa rituals which were finally performed at 1 am on April 18.

The minister’s statement, therefore, clearly contradicts the Niti records of the temple with detailed account of the timings of the rituals of the Lords.