Priests Indulge in Brawl at Gundicha Temple

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Jun 26, 2012 — JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — The Puri police on Tuesday registered cases against nearly thirty priests of Jagannath Temple in connection with a group clash in Gundicha temple on Monday night. Four priests from both sides were injured in the brawl, which stemmed from a petty altercation.

Though the exact cause of the fight was not known, police suspected that the incident occurred when family members of some priests were having darshan of the Deities in the sanctum sanctorum.

"Since the sanctum sanctorum was crowded, the family members of priests were jostling to go ahead for a clear darshan. An altercation started between them over space, leading to the fight," inspector-in-charge of Kumbharapada police station S. K. Biswal said. "We have registered cases and are inquiring into the matter," Biswal said.

The fracas took its toll on rituals of the Deities on Monday night and next morning. "Rituals were delayed for a few hours. We are trying to hold parleys between the two groups," Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo said.

Devotees, who had thronged Gundicha temple on the occasion of Hera Panchami, ran helter skelter when the priests indulged in fighting. "The infighting between priests' community is sending negative impression among pilgrims in India and foreign countries. This is the reason why the daily rituals at Jagannath Temple are often delayed," said Sangam Mohanty, a devotee.

Temple administration apprehends that the priests' face-off might spark unpleasant ramifications during the ensuing festivals like Bahuda Yatra (return car festival) and Suna Besha the next day.

While unfortunate, such fighting between priests of Lord Jagannath's Puri temple is not uncommon, and similar unseemly attitude on part of the priests has often hogged headlines in the past.