It is official now that servitors of the Shree Jagannath Temple were collecting money from devotees to allow them to climb the chariots of the lords. This is evident from a local television channel’s report that the State Government had paid Rs2 crore to the Daitapati servitors as compensation due to a ban on the climbing on chariots.
‘The revelation has come as a major embarrassment for the Government, which through a letter to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) asked for release of Rs2 crore for servitors as compensation. The letter was given to the SJTA in May 2016. The money was meant for the Daitapati Nijog members, whose families’ number is 180. What has raised eyebrows is that the Government used to pay the Daitas to keep them in good humour. “We do not understand why the Government paid such a huge amount in order to implement the High Court order which put a ban on the climbing of chariots by devotees,” said Prafulla Rath, a researcher on the Jagannath cult.
On the other hand, Daitapati Nijog leader Binayak Dasmohapatra said, “The amount is too small in comparison to the loss incurred to Daitapati servitors.” This statement itself admits that the Daita servitors used to earn a heavy amount by allowing devotees to climb the chariots. Binayak Dasmohapatra’s statement also proves the claim of the Daitapati Nijog that they fight for the devotees who want to climb the chariots out of devotion. Now, it is evident that the Daitapatis allowed the devotees to climb the chariots just to extract money from them. It may be noted that each Daitapati family gets at least Rs1 lakh in each Rath Yatra. Minister Damodar Rout strongly disapproved of the money sanctioned for the Daitas, saying “Papachar’ (acts of sin) should not be awarded.