PURI: The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday dismissed the allegations of theft of insignias of sun and moon which were used to decorate the Trinity during Nagarjuna Besha.
The artifacts, made of thermocol, were supposed to be kept in the temple museum under guard of Srimandir security officer. It was alleged in a section of media that the artifacts were taken away by a temple employee and handed over to a senior servitor.
Following the allegation, chief administrator of SJTA Dr Krishan Kumar had directed administrator (rituals) Jitendra Kumar Sahu to conduct a probe.
In a press release, the SJTA said servitor Balaram Khuntia was entrusted with the job to prepare Nagarjuna Besha. A copy of the ornaments used in Nagarjuna Besha in 1994 was given to him. The list had no mention of the thermocol moon and sun insignias. The sun and moon artifacts made of gold were used in the Nagarjuna Besha on November 27 which were drawn from the temple treasury. These were returned after the Besha was unmade.
The SJTA release further stated that the list of ornaments used in the Besha was compared to that of the servitor’s and it was found that there was no discrepancy. The servitor had prepared two sets of moon and sun insignias using thermocol but the administrator refused to receive those. The two sets of insignias were later taken by two servitors.
The temple has nothing to do over the thermocol insignias. The Nagarjuna Besha of the Trinity has been kept in the temple museum and none of its parts is missing, the release added.