Priests' Groups Clash in Chhatiabata Temple

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Jan 26, JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — The famous Ananta Gopal temple, widely known as Chhatiabata shrine at Chhatia in Jajpur district, considered as the abode of Lord Jagannath, turned into a battlefield when supporters of two groups of priests clashed with each other inside the temple precinct on Tuesday.

Nearly 20 persons, including some devotees were injured in the tussle. Even police were forced to use baton to disperse the mobs.

Trouble stemmed from the prolonged conflict between the four Manima brothers over hereditary rights to be the temple's chief servitor. All hell broke loose as supporters of the warring brothers reportedly took on each other when preparations were in full swing for the Biswa Shanti Maha Yagna, scheduled for Wednesday inside the temple premises.

The violence soon spilled over to the streets as police had a trying time to tame the mobs. Properties worth lakhs of rupees were damaged in the unsavoury incident that created panic among pilgrims for quite some time.

Some holy scriptures relating to Lord Jagannath culture were gutted in a fire. The venue of the proposed Yagna site bore a sorry look as agitators vandalized the Yagna pandal and temporary rooftop.

"I cannot say right now about the incident. The local tehsildar is looking into the matter," Jajpur Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Srikant Nayak said.

It may be noted that Chhatiabata is famous for the saint Hadi Das. The Traditionally forecast teller epic Malika is associated with this temple. Malika's writer saint Hadi Das used to reside here.