Bhubaneswar:With opposition Congress demanding a statement from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the "inordinate delay" in 'Brahma Paribartan' ritual of Lord Jagannath, the administration of the 12th century shrine today said it would inquire into it.
"We will certainly inquire into the matter. There has been delay in Brahma Paribartan(change of life substance). I have convened a meeting of Daitapati priests (servitors) to know the fact, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Suresh Chandra Mohapatra told reporters here.
"Some say the delay is due to carpenters while others claim that dispute between priests caused delay. Action will be taken against the persons responsible for the delay," he said.
Mohapatra, a senior IAS officer, was at the centre of controversy due to delay in the conduct of 'Brahma Paribartan', which was conducted during the day yesterday instead of being performed in the dark night of Amavashya on June 15 as per the record of rights (RoR).
Expressing displeasure over the delay in the conduct of rituals, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra (Congress) said "The Chief Minister must give a statement on the inordinate delay. When J B Patnaik was the Chief Minister and the previous Nabakalebara held in 1996, he visited the temple several times for which it was a success."
Alleging that the BJD government in Odisha had completely failed in the smooth conduct of Lord Jagannath's festival, Mishra said lakhs of people have been hurt over violation of the age old tradition of conducting 'Brahma Paribartan' in the darkness of the night.
Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati even demanded the Chief Minister's resignation over the incident.
"Naveen Babu must know that Odisha is the land of Lord Jagannth. As the administration has failed to maintain tradition, Patnaik must resign," he said.
BJP LP leader Basant Panda also came down heavily on the government for the delay.
Ruling BJD defended the government. Its spokesman Samir Ranjan Dash said "The state government has no control over rituals in the shrine. It does not interfere in this matter.
Therefore, there is no question of the Chief Minister giving a statement. As such SJTA will enquire into the matter."
Meanwhile, Gajapati King of Puri Divyasingha Deb, who plays an important role in the Nabakalebara ritual, has claimed that he was in no way responsible for the delay.
"I was ready since afternoon of June 15 to go inside the temple premises for 'Purnahuti'. But, the call from the temple came to me after mid night.
"As soon as I got the call, I rushed to perform my duty," the Puri king said.
Defending the Daitapati priests, Biswabasu (who traditionally performs many of the rituals of Brahma Parivartan) Binayak Dasmohapatra said "There was a slight delay on part of carpenters. The rituals started after Brahmins, who were on fast, took Mahaprasad.
He added, however, there was a delay in the ‘Brahma Parivartan’ and no one should be blamed for it.
"The Daitapatis have performed their durties with all responsibilities. We welcome the enquiry by SJTA," stated Dasmohapatra
On the other hand, the Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth in Puri, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati held Odisha government responsible for the 'delay' in 'Brahma Paribartan' ritual of Lord Jagannath.
"What happened during Brahma Paribartan is an instance of anarchy. I hold the state government responsible for the inordinate delay in holding the most secret Brahma Paribartan," Shankaracharya said.
The centuries-old tradition of Lord Jagannath Temple was violated during the Nabakalebara festival, he said, adding the temple is a symbol of the country's rich culture, tradition and religion.
The seer said the state government should stop interfering in the affairs of the temple and allow religious persons to run it.
The Puri Shankaracharya had last year refrained from going to the chariots during Rathyatra over a dispute with Sri Jagannath Temple Administration.