PURI: The Odisha Government on Thursday decided to organise the annual Rath Yatra without any devotees. However, for the process to be smooth, it has to constitute the managing committee (MC) of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) because tenure of the last panel expired in March and a new body has not been formed yet.
The MC is a statutory as well as apex decision making body of the temple. It is headed by Puri Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb.
Two senior Daita servitors - Ramchandra Dasmahapatra, a long time member of the managing committee and Binayak Dasmahapatra - said the temple administration had discussed with the several servitor bodies and Chhatisha Nijog over-performing Snan Yatra rituals scheduled for June 24 without presence of devotees.
Since tenure of the temple managing body expired in March and a new one is yet to be constituted, the temple administration had conducted discussions with the nijogs (association of servitors) to organise the annual yatra of the Trinity to continue the age old tradition, said Ramachandra.
“Since about a month is to go before the festival, the new managing body may be constituted,” he added.
Meanwhile, greeting the decision of holding Rath Yatra, the servitors said, they would cooperate with the administration while adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP) of Covid-19 guidelines issued by the government. Daita servitors remain in-charge of Rath Yatra till the deities return to main temple. Apart from them, priests and other servitors too render their prescribed services during the fete.