‘Leelamaya’s Leela’, Says Odisha Deputy CM On Rare Slip Of Balabhadra Idol During ‘Adapa Bije Pahandi’

Bhubaneswar/Puri: A day after devotees watched in shock as Lord Balabhadra’s idol slipped and fell on servitors on the slating ladder during the ‘pahandi’ ritual, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Wednesday termed it as Leelamaya’s Leela (roughly translated into English as Lord’s Divine Act).

Speaking to the media, she said that it was minor incident and the injured were discharged after first-aid. “Experts of Jagannath Culture will be able describe this ‘Leela’ of the Lord. None sustained serious injuries. They recovered quickly due to blessings of the Lords and were back conducting the rituals. It should be considered as the Lord’s will,” she added.

Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan’s response to the mishap was also on the similar lines. “No one can understand the ‘Leela’ of Mahaprabhu. So, it will be better for us to move on from the incident. When I spoke to the servitors about the incident, they also termed it as ‘Act of Lord’,” he said.

He further stated that the report of the CT scan result of one of the servitor, who reportedly sustained serious injuries, was found to be normal. “All measures will be taken to ensure smooth conduct of rituals of the sibling deities. Steps will be taken to streamline Bahuda Yatra (return journey) to the Shree Jagannath Temple,” he said.

The incident took place at around 9 pm on Tuesday when some servitors slipped on the makeshift ladder that had been built to carry the deity from the chariot to Shree Gudicha Temple, and got trapped under the 7-ft-high idol of Lord Balabhadra, weighing over 150kg. They were later rescued by other servitors and police personnel and rushed to district headquarters hospital.

It is being said that the ropes to control Lord Balabhadra’s movement had loosened, causing the deity to fall on the slanting ladder.

Pahandi of Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra, however, went smoothly, and the deities were escorted to the Adapa Mandap of the shrine. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his regret over the incident and directed the Law Minister to rush to Puri to take necessary measures. Deputy CM Parida was also asked to head to Puri.