PURI: Sankaracharya of Puri Gobardhan Peeth Swamy Neeschalananda Saraswati on Friday expressed serious concern over the alleged wrongdoing in selection of Daru (Neem logs for making idols) and during Brahmaparivartan of the Trinity during the Nabakalebara ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings in 2015.
The seer criticised the manner in which the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration was functioning. Though three years have passed since the incident, what has the temple administration done?” he questioned and said Jagannath culture and its spiritual tradition should be maintained at any cost. “The administration is not consulting the Sankaracharya on issues related to the temple. If the administration acts on the advise of Sankaracharya, everything would be sorted out peacefully,” the seer told mediapersons.
Amala Navami today
The district administration and Satyabadi Gopinathjew temple trust have made elaborate preparations for observance of famous Amala Navami on Saturday. The day is considered auspicious by Kartik Brata observers who visit the temple and have darshan of Gopinath and Sri Radha.As many as six platoons of police force have been deployed and barricades raised for entry into the temple in queues. This year, the temple administration has banned touching of the feet of Sri Radha and arranged darshan of the deities from a distance. The feet of Sri Radha is opened for darshan once a year.
Eight CCTV cameras have also been installed at strategic points to monitor the movement of devotees and servitors. Anticipating heavy rush of devotees, traffic to the temple and on NH 326 would be regulated, said Collector and District Magistrate Jyoti Prakash Das. Meanwhile on Friday, priests staged protest demanding remuneration and stopped rituals of the deities.
Plaint filed against online Mahaprasad marketing firm
Puri: Two servitors of Sri Jagannath temple on Friday lodged complaints with Simhadwar police against an online Mahaprasad marketing agency. An online agency ‘Puri Bhog Divine of Odisha’ claimed that it was authorised to sell Mahaprasad and was marketing it to devotees across the globe. However, in a press release, the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration denied that it had authorised any firm to sell Mahaprasad online. Preliminary investigation revealed that the agency was operating from Bhubaneswar.