BHUBANESWAR: With arrival of Banajagis (search team to identify the holy neem tree) at Gadakhuntunia village on the outskirts of the Capital, preparations for the conduct of customary rituals and ‘maha-yagya’ have begun in full swing.
An area spread over 10 acres in this nondescript village has turned into a religious hotspot with devotees turning in large numbers to have a glimpse of Lord Sudarshan’s ‘Daru’.
A team of around 200 Banajagis arrived at the village on Tuesday night. The team included 96 Daitapatis (servitors of Lord Jagannath), 14 Acharyas (priests) and 20 Biswakarmas (carpenters).
On Wednesday evening, the Acharyas conducted ‘bhumi-sodhan’ - a ritual to sanctify the premises of the holy neem tree.
This was followed by ‘maha-snan’ (bathing the holy neem tree), ‘sankhakruti’, a ritual in which holy water from a conch shell is poured on the ‘Daru’. Thereafter, the Acharya Rajguru performed ‘ankura-arpan’ and concluded the rituals.
On Thursday, the mast of Lord Sudarshan called ‘Chakra Narayan’ and ‘aagyan-maala’ of the deities will be brought in contact with the Daru after which the ‘maha-yagya’ will begin.
The yagya will continue for next two and a half days where Vedic slokas will be chanted by Acharyas in the presence of Dalapati and Biswabasu.
“Even if it is meant for a holy purpose, we are going to cut an entity which has life. This is no less than a sin. To absolve the Banajgis of this sin, yagyas are conducted to drive off evil forces from the vicinity,” a Daitapati said.
During the yagya, Banajagis will observe fast for three days. After completion of yagya, rituals to mark the beginning of felling of the holy neem tree will start.
“Bidyapati will strike the first blow with a golden axe and after that Biswabasu with a silver axe. After this two symbolic blows, the Biswakarma and his associates will start felling the tree with iron axe,” Biswabasu Binayak Das Mahapatra said.
There is a specific dimension mentioned in the holy scriptures with which the holy tree’s trunk has to be cut. Only then it can be used for creating the idol of Lord Sudarshan. The remains of the tree will be buried in the ground and a Basil (Tulsi) sapling will be planted at the burial spot, Das Mahapatra added.
The ‘Daru’ will then be wrapped with a silk cloth and tied with ropes made from Basunga silk. This process will end on April 17.
The final phase, where a Sagadi - the divine bullock cart made of Tendu and Tamarind wood - will be used to carry the ‘Daru’ to Puri, will start on April 20.
“While half of our team members will escort Lord Sudarshan’s Daru to Puri, others will resume their journey to repeat the rituals for collecting Darus of the Trinity,” Haraprasad Das Mahapatra, a young Daitapati said.
SJTA Clears Air on ‘Daru’
With controversy raging over identification of ‘Daru’ (holy neem tree) for the three deities in Jagatsinghpur, the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Wednesday sought to clear the air.
Chief Administrator of SJTA Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said the holy neem tree for Lord Jagannath and his siblings have not been finalised as yet and requested people to refrain from speculating on the matter.
So far, ‘Daru’ for Lord Sudarshan has been identified at Balakati on the banks of river Kuakhai. The three-day yagya before the felling of the holy tree will commence on Thursday. However, different views emanating about identification of the ‘Daru’ in Jagatsinghpur district has led to massive confusion as well as curiosity among the people. In fact, there is a beeline of pilgrims and devotees to the district to catch a glimpse of the holy tree over the last few days.
Talking to mediapersons here, Mohapatra sought to play down the ‘Daru’ identification saying that reports are awaited and a final announcement is yet to be made. He also urged that no speculation be made by media about finalisation of the holy trees.