Puri: A day after the directive of the Puri Shankaracharya to perform all outer rituals of the Lords inside the Jagannath temple, the Puri district administration on Saturday decided to conduct the Akshay Tritiya and Chandan Jatra rituals at Bahara Bedha on the temple premises.
The administration took the decision after a meeting with all the members of the temple managing committee and sevayat bodies. Puri Collector Balwant Singh presided over the meeting.
Following the discussion, senior sevayat Padmanav Mahapatra said that the consecration of the logs to be used for the construction of the three chariots will be done between Chahani Mandap and Snana Mandap behind Anand Bazar on the temple premises (known as Bahara Bedha) in accordance with the Banajaga rituals.
“Usually the consecration of the chariots’ logs is done by the Stotriya Brahmins and two senior sevayats. But this year, the temple administration has asked seven priests to perform the rituals,” he added.
Asked how the Lords will be taken from the main temple to the Bahara Bedha where the sevayats will receive the Agyan Mala (order) for the consecration of the logs, the president of the Bimanabadu Nijog, Fakira Panda, informed that this year, the Lords will not be taken to Bahara Bedha.
“It has been decided that the Lords after coming out of the sanctum sanctorum will give the Agyan Mala which will be brought in a palanquin by the Bimana Badu sevayats to the Bahara Bedha. The number of Bimana Badu sevayats will be reduced as per the social distancing guidelines of the government,” he pointed out.
Panda further said two small ponds and two small wooden boats will be constructed inside the temple premises where the Lords will play Chapa (water sports) during the festival.
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