Servitor Dies On Duty Inside Jagannath Temple In Odisha’s Puri

Puri: A servitor died after he collapsed while performing rituals inside Shree Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri town on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as Jagannath Mekap, a Suarbadu servitor.

As part of his duty, Mekap was sprinkling water during afternoon puja of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in the main temple.

According to sources, Mekap, a resident of Dolamandap Sahi here, collapsed after complaining of chest pain while performing ‘Dwiprahar Dhoopa’ ritual of the sibling deities in the afternoon. Other servitors rushed to his help and the temple authorities sent him in an ambulance to the district headquarters hospital, but was declared brought dead by the doctors.

“Mekap was suffering from some heart ailments for the last two years. He was under medication. He collapsed on the temple premises. It is suspected he might have died of a heart attack,” Puri collector Siddharth Shankar Swain told the media.