With the Srimandir in Puri facing a rather inauspicious threat of rodents and cockroaches, the Khasapada ritual scheduled for Monday is expected to assess the damage to the idols.
It has been a long pending demand of the temple servitors to get rid of the rodents and cockroaches which have allegedly infested the Temple, particularly the sanctum sanctorum.
Servitors along with the devotees have earlier feared that the rodents might have damaged the idols of the Holy Trinity. The Khasapada ritual is expected to assess the damage.
The secret ritual which is held twice or thrice every year includes minute inspection of the idols for minor damages. A white cloth is wrapped around the lower half of the idols before the servitors perform the ritual. They apply an ointment on the idols made from special herbs wherever they find any damage.
The ritual is done ahead of the Rath Yatra to keep the Holy Trinity ready for the devotees' darshan.
However, the rodents and other insects have posed a threat to the idols.
A rat repellent machine which was donated by a devotee has created another controversy in the Temple with some Servitors demanding to get rid of it and sticking to the use of traditional methods.
Ananta Tiadi, a Srimandir Managing Committee member said, “We keep Pana, Mahaprasad and other things along with mouse traps to catch rodents.”
This machine named ‘Earth Innovation’, which is currently being used at the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) office for testing purposes, produces a kind of sound to repel rodents. It is said that the humming sound produced by the machine would disturb the Holy Trinity’s sleep. This is the reason why the machine can’t be used in the sanctum sanctorum.
It has been a tradition in the temple that there should be pin-drop silence and pitch-black darkness from the Jay Vijay dwar (gate) to the sanctum sanctorum when the deities go to sleep. As the machine is producing a kind of sound, servitors objected its use.
“We are using mouse traps in the Temple. In fact, we are trying to put larger traps. Some servitors have objected the use of this particular machine. So we have decided to let go of it.” said Jitendra Sahu, Administrator (Rituals) of SJTA.
(Reported By Madhusudan Mishra, OTV)