Patnaik faces acid test over lapses in Puri temple festival

Handling the ongoing controversy over Bramha Paribartan, an important ritual recently held in the Jagannath temple in Puri, has turned into an acid test for the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha.

The popular Hindu shrine is currently celebrating Nabakalebara festival after 19 years to replace the old wooden idols of the three presiding deities with new ones.

Bramha Paribartan or the shifting of the sacred souls was held on March 16 as part of the mega celebration.

Banking on the people’s anger over the lapses and mismanagement during the important ritual, the Congress and the BJP, the two principal opposition parties in the state, are leaving no stone unturned to corner the Patnaik administration. The state government manages the affairs of the temple through a senior IAS officer who functions as the chief administrator.

The servitors of the temple who were in charge of the ritual bungled up in three ways. Four designated servitors were to change the Bramhas or the sacred souls with utmost care. No one should touch the Bramhas nor see them. The servitors usually cover their hands using cloth and would be blindfolded while conducting the ritual.

However, apart from the designated four, several other servitors reportedly forced their entry into the sanctum sanctorum during the ritual. They not only touched the three Bramhas but also saw them in violation of the temple tradition and rites.

All servitors were barred from taking their mobile phones while entering the shrine for the ritual which was to take place in isolation and all the doors of the shrine were closed for the devotees and temple officials. However, a section of the servitors reportedly took their mobile phones and clicked the photos of the Bramhas. And most importantly, the much awaited ritual was to take place in the middle of the night on June 15.

However, it could be held only around noon of next day on June 16 reportedly because a fight broke out between the servitors inside the temple.

The BJD and the state government have said that the administration had little role to play in the ritual which was to be conducted by the servitors as per the Puri Temple Act.

The chief administrator is conducting an inquiry and action will be taken against the servitors responsible for the lapses. In fact, two servitors have already been suspended from their jobs, the state government said.

Opposition parties have charged that the servitors dared to conduct the ritual in the manner in which they did only because they were close to senior BJD leaders.

What has given credence to this allegation is the photographs of some senior BJD leaders, including Law Minister Arun Sahu, with the controversial servitors.

These photos have been doing the rounds in the local media offices since beginning of the controversy. The Opposition parties have demanded a judicial probe into the entire episode.