No Change In Banakalagi Ritual Day, Says Puri Jagannath Temple Admn; Warns Of Strict Action

Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has directed the servitors of Dutta Mohapatra Nijog to perform the ‘Banakalagi Niti’ (once-a-week facial ritual) of Lord Jagannath and his sibling at Srimandir in Odisha’s Puri town on Wednesday.

In a letter to the servitors’ body around 10 pm last night, it warned of stern action in case of violation of the order. The temple administration further stated that alternative arrangements will be made if the ritual is not carried out.

Senior servitor of Dutta Mohapatra Nijog, however, said that it is unlikely since the preparation for the rituals take around 12 hours. “At least 12 hours is required to make necessary preparations for the ritual. We have not yet received the required materials for it. In this situation, how can the rituals be performed today?” asked Bijaya Dutta Mohapatra, a senior Dutta Mohapatra Nijog.

Sanjay Kumar Duttamohapatra, another servitor of the Nijog, told the media that they have requested the temple administration to allow them to conduct the ritual on Thursday (July 27) and accordingly, they would make the necessary arrangements. “It is conducted on both Wednesday and Thursday. It is usually done on Thursday and is preponed in case of any issue on this day,” he added.

Briefing mediapersons at a presser, Chief Administrator of SJTA Ranjan Das, however, said that the Record of Rights clearly state that the ‘Banakalagi Niti’ has to be conducted on Wednesdays and an unanimous decision in this regard was taken in 2018. “We have requested the servitors to carry out the ritual today. Efforts are on to ensure that the ritual is resumed and it can also be done in a symbolic manner,” he said.

Das further said the servitors have to abide by the decision taken by the shrine administration. “In case of such disruption, Section 33 of Record of Rights states that alternative arrangement can be made with Suars being assigned the task. Currently, we are not thinking on those lines and are hopeful that the ritual would be conducted today,” he added.

Several devotees have expressed displeasure over the disruption as the faces of the sibling deities have faded sans ‘Banakalagi Niti’ and Shrimukha Shrungara rituals, which has not been conducted since Niladri Bije (June 1), when the sibling deities returned to the sanctum sanctorum after the annual Rath Yatra. It was initially attributed to scarcity of herbs required for it and later to a dispute between the servitors and SJTA over the day it should be performed.

The servitors have been demanding that the ritual should be performed every Thursday, which they emphasise is mentioned in the Records of Rights and changed to Wednesday in 2018. The temple administration, on the other hand, has been trying to reason that the darshan of the Lords will be restricted and other rituals will be delayed if the Banakalagi Niti is conducted on Thursday since another ritual ‘Ekanta Majana Niti’ is scheduled for the same day.

On July 21, the SJTA has also issued a show-cause notice under Sections 20 and 30 of Shri Jagannath Temple Act to Dutta Mohapatra Nijog, seeking an explanation on why they are not performing the ritual within four days, which ended on Tuesday.