SJTA to submit Brahma Parivartan mess report soon

Puri: Responding to the call by the Gajapati king Dibyasingh Deb, the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Saturday said it would submit the final report on the mess in the all-important Brahma Parivartan ritual during Nabakalebara last year, very soon.

“Our probe is almost complete and we would submit the report very soon. We could not submit the report as the two sevayats, who were suspended by the temple administration, had moved the Odisha High Court. We had confidentially submitted all documents, including the statement of the sevayats, to the High Court in a sealed envelope. The court, after examining these documents, has returned them to us. We have received the order of the court, which has rejected the appeal of these two servitors and observed that their suspension is justified,” SJTA chief administrator Suresh Mahapatra told media persons last night.

He said since the SJTA has initiated disciplinary proceedings and there is no problem in finalising the report.

Asked about the delay in submitting the report to the Temple Managing Committee, Mahapatra said he was busy with the Jagmohan repair issue, rescheduling temple rituals, the ongoing Chandan Yatra and construction of chariots. “Besides, I am also in charge of the Forest and Environment department. Despite my busy schedule, I will try my best to finalise the report very soon and inform the Temple Managing Committee in this regard,” he added.

“I have already told in several meetings and press briefings that the SJTA has taken action against the servitors for creating disturbances during Nabakalebara Rath Yatra last year," Mohapatra said.

Notably, the Gajapati had yesterday asked the SJTA to submit the report on Brahma Parivartan mess during Nabakalebara Rath Yatra last year at the earliest.

The order of the Gajapati King came after the issue was raised by a senior servitor of the temple at the second Rath Yatra Coordination Committee meeting earlier in the day.

Raising the issue at the meeting, Ramachandra Dasmohapatra, Badagrahi of Devi Subhadra, had said the SJTA had suspended two Daitapatis—Kashinath Dasmohapatra and Jayakrushna Dasmohapatra - on June 24 last year for the inordinate delay in the Brahma Parivartan of the Lords inside the temple premises. Besides, it had also brought four Badagrahis of Daitapati Nijog and five senior Daitapatis under the purview of its investigation and interrogated Biswakarma Maharana, Deulakarana and the Brahmanas of the Mukti Mandap.

“Though one year has already passed, the temple administration is yet to submit its probe report. Due to non-submission of the report, the temple servitors have been deprived of their wages. We demand that the SJTA should submit its report at the earliest, punish the guilty, exonerate the innocent and release the dues of the servitors before the ensuing Snana Yatra failing which the servitors will not cooperate with the temple administration and the state government in the Snana Yatra and the Ratha Yatra,” Dasmohapatra had said.