Puri: Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati was conspicuous by his absence during the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor Project in the pilgrim town of Puri on Wednesday.
The much awaited Srimandira Parikrama Prakalpa was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after culmination of a three-day yagna, while Gajapati Dibyasingha Dev presided over the rituals and performed ‘Purna Ahuti as part of the ceremony.
Notably, Puri Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb and the chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Ranjan Das had met the Shankaracharya of Puri Gobardhan Peeth and extended an invitation for the mega event.
Spokesperson of Gobardhan Peeth Matruprasad Mishra said that the SJTA had formally invited the Shankaracharya to the inauguration of the project. However, the seer was unable to attend the inaugural ceremony due to pre-scheduled events, he said.
Stating that the Puri Gajapati and senior SJTA officials, including the chief administrator of the shrine, had met the Shankaracharya in Raipur recently and invited him to the inauguration of the mega project. The officials also explained details regarding the project to the seer.
However, the Shankaracharya is now in West Bengal due to the ongoing Ganga Sagar Mela at the neighbouring state. As per tradition, the seer takes the first holy dip at the fair followed by other devotees. The fair kicked off on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 15, Mishra said.
As per tradition, the Gobardhan Peeth sets up a camp at the annual Ganga Sagar Mela and the Shankaracharya remains present at the camp, he said, adding that this year also, the seer has graced the camp at Ganga Sagar Mela.
