Guvt mulls SOP to align Jagannath shrines across India with Puri temple
Bhubaneswar: Amid the controversy surrounding the newly consecrated shrine in Digha, West Bengal, being called 'Jagannath Dham', the Odisha govt on Monday announced plans to introduce an advisory containing guidelines for all
Jagannath temples
across the country. Although not legally binding, this initiative aims to align the operations of these temples with the traditional practices followed at the main shrine in Puri, law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said.
The govt will also establish guidelines for the servitors of Puri Jagannath Temple regarding their duties and obligations. This decision follows the recent incident where some servitors reportedly violated traditions by providing services at the Digha Jagannath temple during its consecration ceremony on April 30.
"While constructing Jagannath temple anywhere is acceptable, we urge everyone to respect the traditions and culture of the primary shrine in Puri. The West Bengal govt's decision to name the Digha temple as Jagannath Dham has offended many, as it is exclusively associated with
Puri temple
and is one of the four sacred dhams in the country," the law minister said.
"To prevent similar controversies, we (Shree Jagannath Temple Administration) will issue guidelines and advisory to every Jagannath temple. The guidelines will specify activities that are permitted and prohibited. Mukti Mandap and Chhatisa Nijog will develop these guidelines," Harichandan added.
Besides Bengal, Jagannath temples are located at major cities like Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
The minister also said Puri
Jagannath Temple servitors
will soon receive a standard operating procedure (SOP) to maintain discipline. "Sevayats of the Jagannath Temple must not offer seva elsewhere. They must adhere to specific rules and regulations, which will be detailed in the proposed SOP," the minister explained, adding that "the SOP will also establish parameters for servitors regarding their media interactions about temple rituals and festivals."
The govt's decision to come up with a set of guidelines also follows the recent controversy regarding untimely celebrations of Rath Yatra at some Jagannath shriness abroad. In Oct last year, Puri king Dibyasingha Deb and several others had raised concern over the untimely schedule of Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) centre in Houston.
The Puri king wrote to the governing body commission of Mayapur, requesting them to refrain from deviating from scripture.
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