SJTA issues notice to priests, carpenters

Amidst a state-wide hue and cry over alleged deviation in the conduct of holy rites of Lord Jagannath's 'Brahma Paribartan', the temple administration today issued notices to Daitapati priests and carpenters to clarify their stand on the issue.
The notices have been issued to four Badagrahi (idol protectors), president and secretary of Daitapati Nijog, 10 Biswakarmas (carpenters) and traditional armed temple guards for the ritual to explain the inordinate delay in conduct of the 'Brahma Paribartan' in the midnight between June 15 and June 16, Sree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) information officer Sudip Chaterjee said.
While four Badagrahi priests, the guards Deula Karan and Chadhu Karan were present inside the temple during the secret ritual, the carpenters had vacated the temple on June 15 night ahead of it.

The carpenters have been asked to explain why there was delay in completing the new idol which was supposed to have been done by 4 pm on June 15. The carpenters, however, completed their work at about 11 pm, which could be the prime reason behind delay in the conduct of the ritual.
The state wide resentment was expressed as the Brahma Paribartan was carried out during the day time of June 16 instead of being done in the dark night of Amabashya and Sankranti (June 15 night).
Earlier, Shankracharya of Govardhan Peeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and Gajapati Maharaja Devyasingha Deb have also expressed their anguish over the deviation in the rituals of Brahma Paribartan.

Meanwhile, Krushna Maharana, one of the 10 carpenters engaged in the making of the new idol of Lord Jagannath, held the priests responsible for the delay. "It is the Daitapati priests who caused delay and not carpenters," Maharana told reporters.