Atibadi Jagannath shrine in Odisha's Brahmagiri locked amid impasse

Atibadi Jagannath Peeth in Kapileswarpur village of Brahmagiri in Puri was locked amid an ongoing disagreement between locals and servitors of the temple. The shrine was locked early Tuesday morning and daily rituals were not performed thereafter.

According to sources, the morning puja rituals and Bhagabat Katha recitations have been suspended. This deadlock is due to a lack of coordination between priests and villagers.

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In the meantime, the keys to the temple have been kept at the Kapileswarpur police outpost.

However, no reactions could be obtained from either the priests or the villagers concerning this matter.

“Definitely it is a matter of concern for all. The local IIC had tried to pacify the difference. Since this is a matter of performance of daily rituals, as to who will perform the puja in the absence of regular priests, such an unpleasant situation arose,” Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said when contacted.

“District Administration has sought the intervention of the village committee to find out a solution to the issue. The IIC and Tehsildar concerned have been directed to hold a meeting later in the day and resolve the matter,” the Collector stated.

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Atibadi Jagannath Das' descendant, Bhagaban Das, who had been overseeing all rituals and services at this shrine for over the last 40 years, recently passed away. His family members have taken over these responsibilities, though this transition has led to misunderstandings between the villagers and the servitor's family.

“They (family of Bhagaban Das) are performing the puja rituals, but the recitation of Bhagabat Katha has been stopped. We had asked all stakeholders of the divided family to submit the account details of funds in their possession,” village chief Birabara Das said.

“After obtaining the necessary details and available funds, a new priest will be engaged to carry out the daily rituals. We have asked the family to wait for 10-15 days and the matter will be decided in a meeting of the committee,” the village chief added.