Jagannath Temple servitor dispute halts Chandan Yatra ritual, govt warns action

Bhubaneswar: A dispute between two servitors of Puri Jagannath Temple stalled the voyage of the representative deities of the shrine, held on the eighth day of ongoing Chandan Yatra at sacred Narendra pond, on Tuesday night.Taking a serious note of the incident, the govt warned of action against the erring servitors. Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan condemned the incident, saying: “This unpleasant situation should not have happened. The temple’s chief administrator is conducting an inquiry, and stringent action will follow.”The confrontation began around 9 pm when a servitor objected to the presence of another’s nephew on the ceremonial vessel (chapa), accusing him of being unauthorised.

The altercation escalated, dragging on until 1 am, leaving the boats stranded and rituals incomplete.“A servitor asked my nephew to leave the boat, accusing him of unauthorised presence. When he resisted, the boat was stopped,” said servitor Binayak Dasmohapatra, alleging that his nephew was unfairly singled out despite several non-duty servitors being on board.Countering this, the servitor, who raised the objection, argued that the youth had no assigned role in the rituals.

“Excess presence of servitors could cause mishaps. When he was asked to get down, his father and others created an unpleasant situation, stalling the proceedings,” he said.Efforts by the district administration and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration to mediate failed, forcing the cancellation of the divine boat ride rituals, during which the representative idols — Madanmohan, Rama, Krishna, Bhudevi and Shreedevi — along with the five Shivas (Pancha Pandavas) are taken on a ceremonial cruise.Devotees expressed deep disappointment. “Hundreds had gathered to witness the summer water sport of the deities. Such unruly conduct must be dealt with firmly. For their personal issues, they dared to stall the divine proceedings,” said a local devotee, Biswajit Nanda.The 42-day Chandan Yatra, which began on April 20 during Akshaya Tritiya, is observed in two phases — Bahara (outer) Chandan and Bhitara (inner) Chandan — each lasting 21 days. In the outer phase, the representative idols of the Jagannath temple deities — Madanmohan, Rama, Krishna, Bhudevi and Shreedevi — along with the five Shivas (Pancha Pandavas), are taken in two boats for a ceremonial cruise, accompanied by music and dance.

The inner phase is observed within the temple premises with special rituals.