Puri seer, 6 disciples can attend car festival

Bhubaneswar: A day after deciding to invite the Sankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati to attend the ensuing car festival, Puri temple administration today said a formal invitation will be sent to the seer in this regard.

“We don’t have any objection to the seer attending the grand occasion. Along with six disciples, he can have ‘darshan’ of the deities on the Snan Mandap which is not allowed to others,” Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Suresh Mohapatra said.

“We will send a team of servitors to the Sankaracharya along with an invitation to attend the festival,” Mohapatra stated.

Yesterday, the Srimandir Management Committee had decided to invite the pontiff to pay obeisance to the gods atop the chariots during the ensuing Rath Yatra.

Welcoming the decision of the committee, the spokesperson of Govardhan Peeth had said it is a “victory of truth”. Notably, the high priest had said, “Intervention of the government in the management of the Sri Jagannath temple is unwarranted. The post of chief administrator for the management of temple is illegal.”

Besides, the committee yesterday decided to double the reward amount of ‘palia’ servitors, include the temple servitors under health insurance of Rs 4 lakh and accidental insurance of Rs 2 lakh.