Priest's Daughter Breaks Taboo, Lights
Father's Pyre

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Feb 02, JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — Notwithstanding stiff opposition from family members and neighbours, a woman belonging to a 'conservative' priests' society of Jagannath Temple on Monday performed the funeral of her father amid police security at Puri Swargadwar crematorium, in a rare departure from Hindu convention that forbids women to conduct last rites of deceased.

Debajani Singhari, who is married, lit the funeral pyre of her father, Madanmohan Pujapanda (71), a prominent priest of Jagannath Temple and member of Jagannath Temple Managing Committee who died of protracted illness at a hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday morning.

Debajani, the only daughter of late Pujapanda, conducted the funeral as per his ‘last wish' despite the presence of other male members in the family. "My father had no sons. I am his only daughter. So my father had wished that I would give the mukhagni (light his pyre) to him," Debajani said. "I had absolutely no qualms to fulfill the last wish my father."

As per Hindu tradition, only male members (sons, brothers, nephews) play the role of pallbearer and perform last rites in the country. Women performing funerals is still considered taboo. And the regulation has higher significance in priests' (sevayat) families in Puri, where conservatism and orthodoxy still rule the roost.

But Debajani's husband, Dr. Sibasundar Singhari said that they did not face any trouble from members of their (priests') society other than the brothers and nephews of late Pujapanda. "The sevayats were not against Debajani's decision. Rather, the nephews and brothers of late Pujapanda opposed her move to conduct the funeral. Some of the nephews and brothers of Pujapanda wanted to conduct the rites," said Sibasundar, a private dental surgeon practitioner at Puri.

"But late Pujapanda's last wish that his only daughter would perform his last rites took precedence over other guidelines, and she was given permission by family members finally. Pujapanda's brothers played the role of pallbearer," Sibasundar said.

"Apprehending trouble, we approached police for security," he added. "Our men stood guard until she completed the funeral of her father. It was peaceful," said Amulya Kumar Dhar, inspector-in-charge of Sea Beach police station.

Asked whether this is a first of its kind in the priests' society at Puri, Sibasundar, who is also a sevayat, denied that, saying "there were instances, though not in living memory, where women of priests' families lit pyres of deceased in past".

He also revealed that another woman was seen conducting last rites of a deceased at Swargadwar on Monday.

It may be recalled that an Oriya actress, Madhumita, had kicked up a row by conducting the last rites of her father Sarat Mohanty, a famous Oriya writer, at Swargadwar crematorium in March 2006.