BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the New Year, Ananda Bazaar in Srimandir will be beautified and the sale of Mahaprasad streamlined. Only authorised servitors of the Shree Jagannath temple will be allowed to sell Mahaprasad at the Ananda Bazaar and rate of the food items would be finalised soon.
This was informed by head of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Ranjan Das following the Chhatisha Nijog meeting at Puri on Monday. He said to begin with, the polythene shades being used in Ananda Bazaar will be removed and replaced with tensile fabric structure. This is a part of the temple beautification project ahead of the inauguration of Srimandir Heritage Corridor project. Use of polythene in the temple has been banned.
Only Supakars (which includes Panda, Khuntia, Suara Mahasuara, Mahapatra and other servitor clans) who have been provided land in the Ananda Bazaar will be allowed to sell Mahaprasad in it.
“Besides, from today, servitors selling Mahaprasad at Koili Baikuntha and other Bedhas are being prohibited in doing so. No one will be allowed to sell Mahaprasad anywhere else on the temple premises other than the Ananda Bazaar,” Das said. This apart, it was decided that a place will be designated in the Ananda Bazaar where people can sit down and eat Mahaprasad.
Another spot will be earmarked where Palia sevayats can sell ‘bhoga’ for a few hours after the Sakala Dhupa and other morning rituals of the Trinity. On Tuesday, a team of SJTA officials along with Suara Mahasuara Nijog members will select the spots where Palia seveyats can sell the ‘prasad’ in the morning. A similar arrangement will be made for servitors who are selling ‘Khaja’ in the Ananda Bazaar.
Currently, Ananda Bazaar has close to 120 shops - 70 shops selling Mahaprasad and nearly 50 outlets selling ‘Khaja’. During off-season, the number of these shops comes down between 50 and 30.