Suryakant Jena

Puri: Barely three months after the Jagamohan, the hall facing the sanctum sanctorum of Puri Jagannath Temple was opened for public darshan on completion of its repair works, servitors at the 12th century shrine today complained of leakage in the roof of the hall following incessant rainfall.

General Secretary of Jagannath Sevayat Sammilani, Kashinath Khuntia said “During Mangala Alati darshan inside the 'Garbha Gruha', I witnessed water flowing under my feet. When I checked to find out the exact cause of this, I saw water leaking from the roof on the Ballav Pindi wetting the Chandua.”

Due to the leakage, the Ballav Bhog of the Trinity almost got delayed, however, after the rain stopped, the servitors were able to perform the rituals, sources said.

“We have informed the temple administration regarding the matter and also urged them to take up the issue with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which had earlier confirmed the completion of the repair works of the Jagamohan.”

Even as the incident has triggered concerns regarding hassle free conduct of rituals and also the safety of the temple, servitors complained that officials of the temple administration or the ASI are yet to take stock of the matter.

It is to be noted that the ASI had on March 6 filed an affidavit in Orissa High Court stating that the repair work of the Jagamohan had been completed. The hall was thrown open for general darshan by devotees on April 16 after remaining out of bounds for almost two years.

As per reports, the ASI had taken up the repair work of the Jagamohan on January 27, 2016.

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