The row over chariot mounting and deity touching at Puri has taken a new turn with Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth Nischalananda Saraswati opposing the recent decision of the State Government effecting partial ban on the age-old practice.
The Government in a recent meeting with a section of the temple servitors’ body, the ‘Daitapati Nijog’, decided that the getting atop the chariots and touching the deities during the Snan Purnima, Rath Yatra and Return Car Festival (Bahuda) are banned while the same can be done in other times.
The Daitapati Nijog which was totally averse to a ban on the practice and was protesting it tooth and nail earlier had somehow agreed to a concept of a limited ban. It was happy that the Government did not enforce a blanket ban on the practice considering the religious sentiments of the devotees. But the Puri seer is not to cede the ground. He is still sticking to his guns for a complete ban since the tradition of climbing the chariots and hugging the deities are, according to him, sacrilegious and sinful.
He said that he had made clear his stand on the issue much earlier when the Government and the Puri temple administration sought his suggestion. In a release, the Sankaracharya claimed that he had given his opinion on the issue after consulting the scriptures and pundits all over the country. He regretted that while taking a final call on the issue the Government only invited a particular group of temple servitors to the negotiating table, which is partisan and not fair.
The Sankaracharya said that the Government had meddled in the religious affairs of the Puri temple and did not implement his recommendations. He lamented that his verdict was rather twisted and ignored. Sankaracharya asked the people to file PIls against the Government’s move.
Though maverick law Minister Arun Sahoo took the decision for a veiled ban a few days after he was sworn in, the response of the Puri seer and his tough stand on the issue has certainly created much unease for him.
The issue was long pending. The Puri administration, the Jagannath Temple Administration and the State Government had hit upon the idea of sorting out the disturbances occurring every year during the Ratha Yatra after American tourists were assaulted on the chariot by the priests in 2012.
There was a long debate over whether to ban the practice, which was benefitting some avaricious priests who collected money from the devotees to let them mount the chariot and touch the deities. But the issue had not been settled owing to stern protest from a section of the priests. Now the question is, was the decision of the Government on the practice taken in haste and undemocraticIJ
Does it mean disrespecting the stand taken by the Sankancharya and hence, disrespecting the traditionIJ Even as the Government took the decision in right earnest keeping in view that this year’s Rath Yatra was approaching near, does it amount to interfering in the religious affairsIJ
And, the last but not the least, if the Government goes for a complete ban, will it be able to wriggle out of the disputed issue and ensure that the big event of the State the Rath Yatra is held hassle-freeIJ