Latest news with #Dasmahapatra
Hans India
13-05-2025
- Hans India
SJTA suspends senior servitor for 30 days
Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Sunday suspended senior servitor Ramakrushna Dasmahapatra for 30 days and barred him from entering the 12th-century Puri temple after he attended the consecration ceremony of Digha Jagannath Temple in West Bengal and was accused of indiscipline. An official statement by SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee said Dasmahapatra had been suspended from all temple duties and prohibited from performing rituals at the Puri Jagannath Temple for a month. Dasmahapatra, who also serves as the secretary of the Daitapati Nijog — a group of servitors who act as the ceremonial bodyguards of the deities during the annual Rath Yatra — has been instructed not to influence or threaten any servitor or individual in an attempt to obstruct temple services or rituals during the suspension period. 'If he does so, the suspension period will be extended and stricter disciplinary action will be taken. During this period, the commander and senior supervisor of the temple will regularly report to Padhee on Dasmahapatra's conduct,' the statement added. The order also stated that if Dasmahapatra's 'disorderly' behaviour is observed during the suspension period and thereafter, the temple administration will cancel or suspend the allowances/pay/awards he is entitled. Prior to the disciplinary action, the SJTA had issued two show-cause notices to Dasmahapatra. The first, dated May 4, directed him to explain within seven days why he allegedly violated temple tradition by crafting idols for the Digha Jagannath Temple using sacred wood collected during the Nabakalebara festival in 2015 — an act that hurt the religious sentiments of devotees worldwide. He was also questioned for allegedly making 'disorderly' and 'irresponsible' remarks on a Bengali television channel, where he initially claimed to have crafted the idols for Digha temple with the surplus sacred wood of Puri temple. However, he later denied the allegation. The State government, through an inquiry, found that the idols for Digha temple were crafted by a carpenter in Bhubaneswar, State Law Minister Pritihiviarj Harichandan had told reporters. A second notice was issued on May 9, asking Dasmahapatra to explain why he attended the consecration event at the Digha temple in his capacity as a Puri servitor, and whether he objected to the temple being referred to as a 'Dham' by the Digha Jagannath Temple Trust. Chief Administrator Padhee emphasised the decision aims to uphold order and discipline within the temple premises. 'It is the duty of all of us to uphold the tradition, rituals and dignity of the temple keeping self above pride and arrogance and this should be a demonstration of our devotion to Lord Jagannath. In the coming days also, no kind of disorder will be tolerated,' Padhee said.
Hindustan Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Puri Jagannath temple suspends senior servitor, denies him entry to shrine for 30 days
Puri/Kolkata, The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration on Sunday suspended senior servitor Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra for 30 days and barred him from entering the 12th-century Puri temple after he attended the consecration ceremony of Digha Jagannath Temple in West Bengal and was accused of indiscipline. An official statement by SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said Dasmahapatra had been suspended from all temple duties and prohibited from performing rituals at the Puri Jagannath Temple for a month. Dasmohapatra, who also serves as the secretary of the Daitapati Nijog — a group of servitors who act as the ceremonial bodyguards of the deities during the annual Rath Yatra — has been instructed not to influence or threaten any servitor or individual in an attempt to obstruct temple services or rituals during the suspension period. "If he does so, the suspension period will be extended and stricter disciplinary action will be taken. During this period, the commander and senior supervisor of the temple will regularly report to Padhee on Dasmahapatra's conduct," the statement added. The order also stated that if Dasmohapatra's "disorderly" behaviour is observed during the suspension period and thereafter, the temple administration will cancel or suspend the allowances/pay/awards he is entitled. Prior to the disciplinary action, the SJTA had issued two show-cause notices to Dasmahapatra. The first, dated May 4, directed him to explain within seven days why he allegedly violated temple tradition by crafting idols for the Digha Jagannath Temple using sacred wood collected during the Nabakalebara festival in 2015 — an act that hurt the religious sentiments of devotees worldwide. He was also questioned for allegedly making "disorderly" and "irresponsible" remarks on a Bengali television channel, where he initially claimed to have crafted the idols for Digha temple with the surplus sacred wood of Puri temple. However, he later denied the allegation. The state government through an inquiry found that Dasmohapatra had lied to the Bengali channel and the idols for Digha temple were crafted by a carpenter in Bhubaneswar, state Law Minister Pritihiviarj Harichandan had told reporters. A second notice was issued on May 9, asking Dasmohapatra to explain why he attended the consecration event at the Digha temple in his capacity as a Puri servitor, and whether he objected to the temple being referred to as a "Dham" by the Digha Jagannath Temple Trust. Chief Administrator Padhee emphasised the decision aims to uphold order and discipline within the temple premises. "It is the duty of all of us to uphold the tradition, rituals and dignity of the temple keeping self above pride and arrogance and this should be a demonstration of our devotion to Lord Jagannath. In the coming days also, no kind of disorder will be tolerated," Padhee said. Taking to X, Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati said, "Shri Jagannathpuri situated in Utkal province is Shri Jagannath-Dham. Use of this fact somewhere else is completely inappropriate". Leader of the opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, welcomed the decision to suspend Dasmahapatro "in light of his unethical involvement in the Digha Jagannath Cultural Center controversy". In a post on X, Adhikari said, "He got influenced by Mamata Banerjee and provided unauthorised 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." Dasmohapatra has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees worldwide, he said. "This suspension sends a strong message, that the sanctity of our revered Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath Dham in Puri, must be upheld. The Sanatani Community would certainly be happy about the decision," he added.
Hans India
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
SJTA issues another notice to Puri servitor
Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Friday issued another show cause notice to senior servitor Ramakrushna Dasmahapatra, asking him to explain the reason behind his active participation in the consecration ceremony of the Jagannath temple at Digha in West Bengal. Dasmahapatra, the secretary of the Daitapati Nijog (a group of servitors who are considered bodyguards of the Puri deities), was among over 55 servitors of the Puri temple, who participated in the inaugural session of the Digha was seen in photographs and videos taking a lead role in performing rituals at the Digha temple in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Digha temple was inaugurated on Akshaya Tritiya on April 30. 'The pictures and videos of Dasmahapatra participating in the inauguration programme of the Sri Jagannath Temple in Digha and leading the group of servitors have been widely circulated in various media. It has come to our attention that during the inauguration of the Digha temple, a plaque was put up to this effect with the inscription 'Jagannath Dham-Digha',' the notice mentioned. Stating that Puri is the holy abode of the supreme deity Sri Purusottam Jagannath, the notice said that according to scriptures, it is one of the most important 'dhams' among the four 'dhams' of India.'Despite being aware of this as a senior servitor of Lord Jagannath temple, his participation in the inaugural session of the Digha temple has created confusion among the devotees regarding the tradition of the temple and has hurt the religious sentiments of countless Shri Jagannath devotees,' the notice said. Therefore, the SJTA wanted to know as to why did he (Dasmahapatra) participated in a programme titled 'Jagannath Dham-Digha' as a senior servitor of the 12th century shrine in Puri.'Whether you (Dasmahapatra) had protested before the Digha Temple Trust Board opposing the mention of 'dham' in the plaque,' the notice asked. The fresh show cause notice asked Dasmahapatra to submit an explanation to the SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, who is a senior IAS officer, within two days of receiving the notice.'If a satisfactory explanation is not received within this time, action will be taken under the Sri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955,' the notice said. Earlier, Dasmahapatra was issued the first show cause notice and questioned by the SJTA for 90 minutes after he claimed before a Bengali television channel that he had brought the sacred wood from the Puri temple and crafted the idols for the Digha temple. However, later, Odisha's Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had clarified that 'the idols for Digha temple were crafted by a carpenter at Bhubaneswar by using simple neem wood and not the sacred wood from the Puri temple.' Earlier, the use of word 'dham' by the temple at Digha was strongly opposed by Odisha government, Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth and many devotees.
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Puri sacred wood not used in making Digha idols: Harichandan
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Monday said according to an interim investigation report, no sacred wood from Puri Jagannath temple was used to make the idols installed at a temple in Digha in West Bengal, as was alleged by various quarters. The Odisha government also urged the authorities in West Bengal to refrain from using 'dham' with newly built Jagannath temple at Digha and stop projecting the sea there as 'Mahodadhi' (the great ocean). Though both seas at Digha and Puri are the same, the Bay of Bengal, the one at Puri is called 'Mahodadhi' as the Odisha town with the 12th-century Jagannath shrine is considered a sacred place of pilgrimage. The Law Minister also threatened to take legal steps against the West Bengal government if it does not stop referring to the Digha temple as a 'Jagannath Dham'. The alleged use of sacred wood of the Puri temple in crafting idols of the shrine at Digha and treating the West Bengal temple as a 'Jagannath Dham' by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who inaugurated it last week, sparked off a huge controversy. Harichandan had asked the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) of Puri on May 2 to investigate the matter. The administration of the temple in Puri is under the Law department of the Odisha government. The SJTA on Sunday questioned a senior servitor as part of its investigation. The servitor, 'Daitapati Nijog' secretary Ramakrushna Dasmahapatra, attended and supervised the consecration ceremony at the Digha temple in the presence of Mamata Banerjee on April 30. 'Daitapati Nijog' is a group of servitors considered bodyguards of Lord Jagannath. 'I have received the interim report from the SJTA Chief Administrator and the State's Law department Secretary. It was found during the investigation that the senior Daitapati servitor had crafted the idols of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath in Odisha and taken them to Digha,' the minister told reporters. 'But, those idols were made by a carpenter in Bhubaneswar by using neem wood and not the sacred wood stored in Daru Gruha (wood store room) of the Puri temple as alleged. We have verified it from the Bhubaneswar carpenter who crafted the idols,' he said. It was alleged that some Puri servitors used leftover 'neem' wood from the 2015 'Nabakalebara' (new form) ritual to make the idols for the shrine in Digha. 'Nabakalebara' is a ritual held every 12 or 19 years, during which the wooden bodies of the three idols are changed at the Puri temple. The claim about the use of wood from the Puri temple came after Dasmahapatra's interview was telecast by a Bengali news channel. On this, the minister said, 'He (Dasmahapatra) has admitted during questioning by the SJTA that it was a slip of the tongue and he had no such ill intention. Still, the SJTA has issued him a show cause notice asking him to reply within seven days from Sunday.' Apart from Dasmahapatra, who is known as Rajesh Daitapati in West Bengal, over 50 other servitors from the Puri temple reportedly attended the consecration ceremony at the Digha temple. Harichandran also appealed to the West Bengal government not to use the title 'dham' with the Jagannath temple of Digha. 'They (the SJTA and the Law department Secretary) have made certain recommendations after taking the opinions of various groups of servitors at the Puri temple. None of them objected to a Shree Jagannath temple anywhere in the country. But the title 'dham' cannot be used arbitrarily and all sea cannot be called 'Mahodadhi',' Harichandan said. The minister said the State administration has decided to request the West Bengal government to withdraw the 'dham' title from the temple and stop projecting the sea at Digha as 'Mahodadhi'. 'If they (West Bengal government) does not respond to our request, we will be forced to take legal recourse,' Harichandan said. The Law Minister said the SJTA would soon issue guidelines for various Jagannath temples across the country and an SOP for the servitors of Puri temple to avoid confusion and controversies in future.
