Latest news with #Daitapatis
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Rs 2.25 crore reward for Daitapatis for smooth conduct of Jagannath Rath Yatra
BHUBANESWAR/PURI: In a massive incentive, the Law department has approved Rs 2.25 crore for Daitapati servitors of the Shree Jagannath Temple if they ensure a smooth Rath Yatra. A proposal in this regard was sent by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) recently. In a letter to the Srimandir chief administrator, the department informed that the government has approved Rs 2.25 crore as a 'special reward' for Daita servitors for disciplined conduct during the annual festival of the Trinity. The money will be paid from the SJTA funds and replenished with the allotment of funds as special grants to the SJTA at the supplementary budget stage. Other servitors welcomed the incentives for Daitapatis and urged release of funds for all servitors who render services connected with the Rath Yatra. In another development, the I&PR department has decided to set up temporary information kiosks at various places in Puri to reach out to maximum number of devotees coming to the city for Rath Yatra. At a preparatory meeting on Thursday, principal secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh said various programmes are being planned by the department for the upcoming Rath Yatra which includes folk art performances and live broadcasting of the festival. Meanwhile, DIG S Praveen Kumar informed that at least 70 platoons of police force along with four senior commandant rank police officers and 450 other officers will be deployed in Puri for the Snana Purnima on June 11. Addressing the press, the DIG said, 'Our primary aim is to bring discipline to the darshan of the deities, ensure the security of devotees, and regulate traffic.' Earlier in the day, the DIG discussed the security issue with Puri Superintendent of Police Vinit Kumar, and other senior officers of the district. The temple administration has also conducted a number of meetings with temple servitors and Daitapatis for the timely observance of daily rituals of the deities.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Suspension of Odisha Jagannath temple servitor escalates TMC-BJP row in Bengal
KOLKATA: The suspension of Ramakrishna Dasmohapatra, a senior Daitapati (servitor) at the Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri on Sunday, has triggered a row in Bengal with the the state's ruling Trinamool Congress attacking Odisha's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for action against the servitor because he had participated in an event to open the Jagannath temple in Bengal's Digha. 'Priests at Hindu temples are above political interference. Rajesh Daitapati's only fault seems to be his presence at a temple built by Mamata Banerjee. This action is a proof of the BJP's narrow thinking,' TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said. Majumdar said 'the unjust disciplinary action against a high ranking servitor is clearly a manifestation of the political diktats of the BJP government in Odisha. It hurts the sentiments of millions of Hindu devotees. The Daitapatis of Puri Jagannath temple are respected by all'. Dasmohapatra, popularly known as Rajesh Daitapati, was suspended for 30 days by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Sunday. The suspension came days after the administration asked him to explain why he supervised the ceremony to consecrate the new Jagannath temple built by the Mamata Banerjee government at the beach town of Digha in East Midnapore district on April 30. Banerjee's government has built the temple as a cultural centre and handed over its operation to Iskon. The chief minister, who spent two days in Digha in connection with the ceremony, has been criticised by the Bengal BJP for calling the temple Jagannath Dham., a point that has been subsequently echoed by Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi as well. The decision by SJTA to suspend the servitor is seen as an escalation of the row that erupted after Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan alleged that Rajesh Daitapati carried sacred neem wood from the temple in Puri to Digha for artisans to make the Jagannath idols. On May 5, Harichandan acknowledged that no timber from the temple had been shipped out. To be sure, the Bengal BJP welcomed the suspension of the servitor. 'I welcome this decisive action in light of his unethical involvement in the Digha Jagannath Cultural Centre controversy,' said BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the Bengal assemlby, in a post on X. 'He got influenced by Mamata Banerjee and provided unauthorized guidance for the replication of Puri Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath Dham's sacred rituals and traditions, which later led to absolutely inappropriate misleading campaign by the local administration, by projecting the Digha Cultural Center as a site which would rival the Puri Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath Dham,' Adhikari said.
