Puri servitor gets show-cause notice over comments made during Digha Jagannath Temple inauguration

The notice issued by SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee said there were allegations regarding Dasmohapatra’s interview to a section of the media during the Digha temple’s inaugural ceremony in which the senior servitor claimed that he provided idols for the new shrine that were made from the leftover wood from the Nabakalebar rituals held in 2015.

Dasmohapatra later allegedly contradicted his statement, saying the idols for the new shrine were not made of the leftover wood from Nabakalebar rituals. He said he supervised the crafting of the idols for the Digha Temple.

Nabakalebar is a sacred ritual of Lord Jagannath, in which the old wooden idols of sibling deities are replaced with new ones. The idols are made of neem wood. The Nabakalebar ritual is performed at an interval of 12 or 19 years, coinciding with astronomical considerations.

It has been alleged that the contradictory statements created confusion among devotees of Lord Jagannath and tarnished the dignity of the 12th-century Puri Jagannath Temple.

As per rituals, the leftover wood collected during the Nabakalebar are preserved in the Darrughar (wood storage) of the Puri temple and is meant only to be used for the needs of Lord Jagannath at the appropriate time. The show cause notice alleged that despite being a senior servitor and being fully aware of the rules, he created confusion among the minds of Jagannath devotees.

On Sunday, Dasmohapatra and another servitor appeared before a SJTA committee to clarify his stand, following which the show cause notice was issued.