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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.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Senior Puri Jagannath temple priest suspended for involvement in consecration of Digha temple
Ramkrishna Das Mohapatra, a senior sevayat (traditional priest) of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, was on Sunday (May 11, 2025) suspended for 30 days following allegedly controversial remarks pertaining to his involvement in the consecration of the Jagannath temple in Digha, West Bengal. The Odisha government had earlier ordered a probe into allegations that surplus timber procured for the Nabakalebara rituals at the Puri temple had been used to carve the idols of the sibling deities at the Digha temple. Although the Odisha government denied the use of any leftover daru (sacred wood) at the Digha temple, Mr. Mohapatra's statement was seen as damaging to the sanctity and traditions of the Puri temple. In an interview with a Bengali television channel, the senior sevayat had claimed that daru used in the Digha temple had come from the Nabakalebara rituals. He later retracted the statement, calling it a slip of the tongue. Mr. Mohapatra has been barred from entering the Puri temple premises or participating in any rituals during the period of suspension. The Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration has warned that any attempt to influence other sevayats or disrupt temple rituals would result in a longer ban and stricter disciplinary action. Mr. Mohapatra's conduct will be closely monitored throughout the suspension. Another controversy erupted over the naming of the Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham'. The Odisha government strongly objected to the use of the term for the temple in West Bengal, arguing that it undermined the unique spiritual and cultural identity of Puri's Jagannath Dham. Chief Minister Mohan Majhi formally urged his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee to drop the 'Dham' tag from the Digha temple. 'As you are well aware, Shree Jagannath Dham in Puri, Odisha, is one of the Char Dhams of Hinduism and holds unparalleled religious, spiritual, and cultural significance — not just for the people of Odisha, but for millions of devotees across India and the world,' Mr. Majhi stated in his communication. Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, also appealed to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to intervene and remove the 'Dham' from the name of the temple at Digha.
Hans India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Security beefed up at Shree Jagannath Temple amid rising India-Pak tensions
Security has been intensified in and around the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri amid the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. Heavy deployment of security personnel has been made to ensure the safety of devotees and the temple premises. The heightened security comes in the wake of the recent security audit conducted by the National Security Guard (NSG) team. Several precautionary measures have been put in place to strengthen surveillance and response systems around the temple. Officials confirmed that round-the-clock monitoring, increased patrolling, and deployment of special forces have been implemented to prevent any untoward incident. Entry protocols have also been tightened as part of the new security arrangements. Meanwhile, the security arrangements at the Hirakud Dam, the longest earthen dam in the world, located in Sambalpur district, have also been intensified. The district administration has reportedly restricted tourists' entry to the dam premises until further notice. Security arrangements have also been heightened at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar and the Paradip Port in Jagatsinghpur. On the other hand, a high-level meeting is likely to be held in Balasore district on Friday afternoon to discuss steps to tighten security arrangements at sensitive defence installations of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Chandipur in Balasore. DIG of Police (Eastern Range) Satyajit Naik had earlier convened an emergency meeting to hold discussions on enhancing security measures at defence installations at Chandipur. "In view of the prevailing war-like situation in the country, it is proposed to hold an emergency meeting on 09.05.2025 at 02:00 p.m. to review the security arrangements of the critical defence installations, including the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, and Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Chandipur," wrote Naik. The Indian Army, in a statement, said that Pakistan launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along the entire Western Border on the intervening night of May 8 and 9 and resorted to numerous ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, which were effectively repulsed.
New Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Constitute top panel to manage Puri temple
The new Jagannath temple in West Bengal's Digha finds itself at the centre of a controversy soon after opening. Right from its consecration on Akshaya Tritiya, the temple funded by the WB Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation drew the ire of Jagannath devotees and politicians in equal measures. While Mamata Banerjee's opponents have called it a cultural centre—and not a temple—built to garner political capital ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, it has led to outrage in Odisha, home to the Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri, one of the country's four dhams. A top servitor of the Odisha temple triggered the controversy when he told a Bengali TV channel that the idols for the Digha temple were made with surplus neem wood from the Puri shrine. His claim, which he later refuted under growing criticism, snowballed into a political storm, prompting the Mohan Charan Majhi government to order an inquiry. The probe eventually revealed that neem wood from the Puri temple was not used, but the participation of the senior servitor in the consecration rituals at Digha raised questions. Two servitor bodies had cautioned its members against taking part in the rituals of the Digha temple on the grounds of dilution of tradition.
