The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) is in a fix in view of the Daitapati priests openly challenging an opinion of the Sankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati.
The Puri seer, who has recommended the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) not to allow devotees to climb chariots and touch the deities during Rath Yatra, has been strongly opposed by the Daitapatis.
The Daitapatis use to serve the lord when He comes out of the temple during the annual car festival. They consider them as family members of the lord having a special place in the Shree Mandir.
While the Sankaracharya views that the scriptures do not allow devotees to climb the chariots and touch the lord, the Daitapatis claim otherwise. They argue that the lord used to come out of the temple every year, got the Rath Yatra in order to mingle with those people who do not get an opportunity to enter the shrine. So, it is injustice to prevent these devotees from performing their rights like climbing the chariots and touching the lord, the Daitapatis say.
They also claim that devotees climbing chariots and touching deities during Rath Yatra has been a longstanding practice. The SJTA has, meanwhile, accepted the Sankaracharya’s recommendation and decided not to allow any person to climb chariots from next year. On the other hand, the Daitapatis have resolved that they would not accept the SJTA’s ban.
“We condemn the recommendation of the Sankaracharya and the subsequent ban decision by the temple administration,” said secretary of Daitapati Nijog (Association) Premananda Dasmahapatra. The Daitapatis have also threatened not to cooperate with the SJTA in performing temple rituals.
Before this year’s already-held Rath Yatra, the SJTA had decided not to allow devotees to climb chariots, but it had to change the decision in the face of the stiff opposition from the Daitapatis.