PURI: Cyclone Fani, which wreaked havoc in Puri on Friday, did not spare the Jagannath temple causing damage to its structure. Yet, the 12th-century shrine stood strong in resilience and did not let the catastrophic cyclone disrupt its rituals even at the peak of its fury. The gale force packing 200kmph strong wind has completely damaged the scaffoldings installed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) around the main temple for carrying out repair and renovation work on the ancient structure.
A portion of the scaffolding on the south side and upper part of the temple was blown away while the remaining portions were totally damaged. The ‘Kalpabata’ tree on the temple premises that carries high religious significance for devotees has also been affected and its supporting structure damaged, senior servitor of the temple Ipsit Pratihari said .
Patihari said though the sanctum sanctorum of temple has not suffered any major damage, the lion statue on West Gate of the temple fell down in the storm. The cyclone has also damaged one of the subsidiary deities on Singhadwar (Lions’ Gate) and has shattered the lighting arrangements and shades inside the temple.
While the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is yet to ascertain the extent of damage to the temple, servitors complained that the scaffoldings should have been removed before the onset of the storm or should have been strengthened to sustain the force of the winds. On Saturday some servitors and workers were seen removing the damaged scaffolding hanging dangerously on the upper part of the temple.
On the other hand, Fani could not deter the priests and temple staff from carrying out their duties as per rituals. Even as the cyclone was to make its landfall, the temple servitor, as per religious requirement, climbed atop the temple and fashioned the flag on Neelachakra. The religious scriptures prescribe that every day a flag should be fashioned on the pole attached to Neelachhakra before the daily nitees (rituals) of the holy Trinity begin.
Thereafter, the daily chores of deities starting with Mangal Arati, Abakash, Mailam, Rosahoma, Suryapuja, Gopal bhog, Madhyahn dhoopa and Sahanamela (public darshan) were conducted. The attendance of devotees, pilgrims and locals at the Mangal Arati was, however, low. The deities lord Jagannath, his elder Balabhadra and sister Subhadra were offered cooked bhog (mahaprasad) prepared in temple kitchen and later the bhog was made available to pilgrims in the Anand Bazaar.
On Saturday, though, the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration exercised caution and made the temple premises out of bounds for devotees. While the move caused resentment among the devotees, the SJTA officials said it was done keeping their safety in mind. The impact of Fani was being assessed and any decision will be taken after it is completed.An official said devotees are likely to be allowed for darshan on Sunday. “The final decision, however, lies with the SJTA authorities,” he said.