No Letup in Puri Temple Deadlock, Citizens Hit the Street

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Dec 28, JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — The catch-22 situation at the world famous Jagannath Temple that erupted out of the tussle between shrine cooks and officials over non-sale of Mahaprasad has given rise to public resentment as a number of citizens on Monday staged a sit-in in front of the 12th century shrine, demanding immediate interference of the government to end the impasse.

The public protest coincided with the strike by cooks that entered a third day on Monday. The suaras did not cook holy food for the public on Monday, as well.

The temple cooks reiterated their demand, seeking coherency in the daily rituals for the Deities in the temple. According to the suaras, they have been facing loss for not being able to sell Mahaprasad among pilgrims due to delays in completion of rituals.

"Pilgrims would continue to suffer if the administration does not streamline the rituals at the earliest. Until the officials come to us with solid assurance of streamlining the rituals and paying us compensation for our losses (on any day), our stir will continue," Padmanabha Mahasuar, secretary of the Suar Mahasuar Nijog (the cooks' body), said.

A cooks' delegation met the Puri MLA, Maheswar Mohanty on Sunday evening, seeking the legislator's assistance in ending the deadlock. "The MLA simply assured us of help. He said he would take up the matter with the state law department," Mahasuar said.

"The government should immediately resolve the issue for the convenience of temple cooks and devotees," said Priyadarshan Pattnaik, national convener of Jagannath Sena, a religious outfit of Puri that spearheaded the citizens' agitation before Jagannath Temple.

Pattnaik also flayed the Jagannath Temple officials for posing a stoic silence in the matter. "Puri is crowded with tourists right now. But all of them are returning dejected from the temple premises due to unavailability of Mahaprasad since Saturday. The temple administration is not serious at all to iron out the issue," Pattnaik said.

Puri district collector Fakir Charan Satapathy rebuffed the allegation. "The district administration is very much concerned and taking measures to resolve the issue," said Satapathy, who is also the deputy chief administrator of Jagannath Temple.