Puri servitors preparing prasad at Digha Jagannath shrine inauguration to face boycott

Time of India

24-04-2025

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Bhubaneswar:
Suar Mahasuar Nijog
, the association whose servitors prepare the Mahaprasad at Puri Jagannath Temple, has threatened its members with boycott if they cook the bhog during the inauguration of the newly constructed Jagannath Temple in Digha, West Bengal, on April 30.
The warning comes amid reports that some servitors from Puri Jagannath Temple have been allegedly asked to prepare the prasad at the Digha shrine during its inauguration.
Various servitors from different Nijogs, including the Suar Mahasuar of Puri shrine, have been invited by the Digha temple trust to take part in the inaugural ceremony.
"We have got information that the Digha Jagannath Temple's trust board has asked some of our colleagues to prepare Mahaprasad for the guests and devotees during the shrine's inauguration on Akshaya Tritiya (April 30). We have advised our members not to do so. The cooking methods and traditions are distinctive to Puri temple and should exclusively stay so," said Narayan Mahasuar, secretary of Suar Mahasuar Njiog.
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The association has put up a notice on temple walls and has also circulated it among members. The message states, "There is no harm in attending the inauguration ceremony. However, none of the Nijog servitors and their staff should prepare Mahaprasad (cooked or dry) at the Digha temple. If they violate this order, they will be boycotted by the association and won't be allowed to cook Mahaprasad in Puri Jagannath Temple."
Nijog's advisor Baidyanath Mahasuar said, "We are servitors of Puri Jagannath Temple and duty-bound to render our services to Lord Jagannath. We should not act like commercial cooks, nor discharge our duty outside the main shrine."
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Puri, has endorsed the Suar Mahasuar Nijog's stand. "We are also of the same opinion. The Nijog members are exclusively preparing Mahaprasad for Puri Jagannath Temple. They should obey this tradition and not cook elsewhere," a senior SJTA official told TOI.
According to sources, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the new Digha temple. The shrine's development, funded by the state govt, costs about Rs 250 crore and spans 22 acres.