Puri Jagannath temple: Appeal made not to keep deities awake at New Year eve midnight

A Jagannath Temple managing committee member appealed on Sunday against the recent practice of keeping Lord Jagannath and His siblings awake on the eve of the New Year by keeping open the Holy shrine (for performing Dwarafita ritual) early at midnight, calling it inconsistent with Sanatan Hindu traditions.

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Mahesh Sahu, a member of the Shree Jagannath Temple managing committee, has written to Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, and Srimandir Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee, raising objections to the practice.

In his letter, Sahu emphasised that Lord Jagannath is the presiding deity of Sanatan Hindus and that all rituals at the 12th-century Vaishnavite shrine are traditionally conducted strictly according to ancient Hindu scriptures and the temple traditions.

The SJTA member pointed out that over the last few years, opening the temple at midnight on the eve of January 1 to mark the New Year has become a regular practice. According to him, this is neither appropriate from a religious standpoint nor aligned with long-established temple traditions. He described the matter as religiously sensitive and urged the authorities to give it serious consideration and prevent such practices violating traditions.

Meanwhile, with large crowds of devotees expected in Shreekhetra Puri during the year-end and New Year period, the temple administration is planning special arrangements to ensure smooth and orderly Darshan for pilgrims coming to Puri at midnight hours.

“What the managing committee member has written is apt and justified. January 1 is not our New Year's Day; rather, our New Year falls on April 14 every year. Opening the temple at midnight shortly after the performance of Pahuda ritual is against the temple traditions, which must be stopped. We should not keep the Holy Trinity awake at night,” senior Sevayat (servitor) of the temple, Binayak Dasmohapatra, said to OTV when contacted.