PURI: Mahant of Uttarparswa mutt Narayan Ramanuj Das on Saturday said he has no objection to the State Government’s decision to demolish the monastery as part of a drive to beautify Sri Jagannath Temple and enhance its security but adequate provisions should be made to ensure it can continue rendering services to Lord Jagannath.
Uttarparswa mutt, situated on the north side of Sri Jagannath Temple, was established in 15th century by disciples of Swami Ramanujacharya, the founder of Srisampradaya sect. The mutt has the distinction of getting endowment from Queen Victoria, Emperor Akbar’s general Man Singh and Shivaji’s general Babu Rao.
Queen Victoria had donated a vast tract of agricultural land to the mutt in Derunia village in Kakatpur block for offering ‘mohanbhog’, a sweetmeat prepared with fine grains of wheat, ghee and molasses and ‘ballav’, a sweet cake offered to the Trinity as part of ‘Sakaldhup Kothbhog’.
These two items are offered daily to Lord Jagannath, said the Mahant. The mutt now has limited belongings. A high school, established by it at Satonal, was taken over by the State Government. The mutt authorities had to close ‘Sanskrit tol’ due to fund crunch.
The Mahant, quoting Sanandas (royal orders), informed that Emperor Akbar’s general Man Singh had donated a large tract of land called ‘Mahalas’ to the mutt in Nilagiri area in Balasore district for providing food and water for pilgrims on their way to Puri.Mughal ruler Aurangzeb too had donated a large tract of swampy land to the mutt in Gaindol village near Chhaitana in Sadar block for rearing cows and bulls. The mutt still supplies milk, curd and ghee to Sri Jagannath temple.
The mutt once had more than 100 cows which were reared on its three-acre campus. However, with the passage of time, the number of milch cattle has reduced to just 35.But, the Estate Abolition Act, Sri Jagannath Temple Act and Endowment Act stripped the mutt of its property. The district administration, in 2014 and 2016, had acquired 30 feet of land belonging to the mutt to widen the parikrama around the 12th century shrine.
As many as 60 rooms in the two-storey mutt building need urgent repairs. “Lord Jagannath, Raghunath Dev, Mahavir Hanuman and idol of Sri sect founder Ramanujacharya are worshipped in the mutt temple,” said Mahant Ramanuj.