PURI: Former chief administrator of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Suresh Chandra Mahapatra has been asked to submit the ‘Brahma Parivartan’ fiasco report within a month.
At the managing body meeting of the SJTA, which was presided over by Gajapati of Puri Dibyasingha Deb, here on Thursday, the house raised concern over non-submission of the report by Mahapatra even after two years of the incident.
After a hue and cry over deviation in the sacred rituals related to ‘Brahma Parivartan’ of the Trinity during Nabakalebara in 2015, the State Government had directed Mahapatra, the then chief administrator of the SJTA, to submit a report. Dibyasingha Deb had also expressed anguish over the mismanagement in ‘Brahma Parivartan’, which is an important part of Nabakalebara festival. Mahapatra had received a number of affidavits and recorded statements of Daitas and all servitors who were involved in the Nabakalebara and ‘Brahma Parivartan’ rituals. However, he is yet to submit the report to the State Government. In the meantime, Pradip Kumar Jena replaced Mahapatra as the chief administrator of SJTA.
This apart, many important decisions related to repair of Jagamohan were taken in the managing body meeting.
The managing body approved the revised time schedule of the deities’ rituals to facilitate repair of Jagamohan and construction of Bhandar and Changada, the two rooms that were earlier demolished to carry out Jagamohan works. A plan outlay of `55 crore was finalised for development of Jagannath Ballav Mutt, which spreads over an area of 45 acres of land located alongside the Badadanda. A school for children of the servitors would be constructed at a land belonging to Jagannath temple in Samang area soon.
It was also decided that ‘Skandha Puran’, a religious scripture which describes about Sri Jagannath and Srikshetra in one of its chapters, would be translated from Sanskrit to English and other Indian languages. A three-member panel of scholars, headed by Tirupati Sanskrit University Vice- Chancellor Dr Harekrushna Satpathy, has been formed for the purpose.
On the occasion, the managing body renewed contract of the private agency that is engaged to maintain hygiene in the temple complex.
On Friday, it would assess the cause behind the delay in pulling of chariots on Rath Yatra as a result of which, none of the three chariots could reach Gundicha temple on the day.
Apart from Dibyasingha Deb and temple chief administrator Jena, officials of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) attended.
Suspension of 9 servitors revoked
Puri: Chief administrator of the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) PK Jena on Thursday revoked suspension of nine servitors. The servitors were suspended for facilitating climbing of chariots of unauthorised persons during Niladri Bije last year and for the delay in ‘Pahandi after they had altercation with the ‘District Collector causing indiscipline.
OTHER DECISIONS
● A plan outlay of D55 crore was finalised for development of Jagannath Ballav Mutt
● A school for children of the servitors would be constructed at a land belonging to Jagannath temple in Samang area
● ‘Skandha Puran’ would be translated from Sanskrit to English and other Indian languages