Apology to seer for humiliation at Puri Rath Yatra

BHUBANESWAR: After prolonged dithering, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Tuesday apologized to Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati for the unpalatable circumstances, which prompted the seer to boycott 2014 Rath Yatra.
A SJTA delegation, led by temple managing committee chairman Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, met the Shankaracharya at Govardhan Peeth and invited him for the July 18 Rath Yatra.
Deb, the Puri king, apologized to the seer with folded hands. "The Shankaracharya holds the highest position in our religion. He will visit the chariots this year and the Jagannath Temple during Debasnan Purnima on June 2," he said.
Controversy started in the run-up to June 29, 2014, Rath Yatra when the Shankaracharya recommended blanket ban on pilgrims' access to the chariots, much to the chagrin of servitors.
Last year, the seer skipped his rituals as the state government sent him an invite, asking him to come alone' onto chariots though he was entitled to take his disciples with him. "This time, the seer will be accompanied by six of his disciples," said an officer of the temple administration.
On Saturday, the Shankaracharya came down heavily on the SJTA and the state government for humiliating him. "I am happy that the temple authorities met me. But I want the administration to name the officers, who hatched a conspiracy against me and prevented me from going to the chariots last year," the seer said.
Since Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, is silent on the Shankaracharya's role in temple affairs, the SJTA is also planning to amend it. "We revere the seer and seek his opinion during crises. But the Act should clearly define his responsibilities," said a temple managing committee member.