The devotees would not be allowed to climb onto the Raths and touch the deities during the Rath Yatra, opined Sankaracharya of Goberdhan Peeth here Swami Nischalananda Saraswati in his report submitted to the Shree Jagannth Temple Managing Committee.
The temple body approved the recommendation of the holy seer, who is the permanent president of the Mukti Mandap, a seat of scholars and pundits of the temple, in an emergency meeting here on Thursday. Earlier, following numerous complaints regarding alleged misbehaviour of the priests to devotees on the Raths, the controversy over religious position of devotees to climb chariots and touch the deities had been raging. In the face of diverse opinions, the temple body had sought opinion of the Sankaracharya over the issue.
In 2006, the temple administration had made provisions of steel ladders to be attached to the parked chariots during the Rath Yatra to facilitate darshan of the devotees.
The temple body in its sitting unanimously approved the suggestions of the Sankaracharya. In a Press meet on Thursday evening, the Sankaracharya and Gajapati king Dibyasingh Dev, who is the chairperson of the temple body, said after deep study of the holy scriptures and suggestions of various other religious establishments, it was resolved that there was no such provision for the devotees to touch the deities on the Raths. It is against the religious tenets to climb the Raths while the deities are seated on it, he said, adding the fixing of steel ladders to the chariots was also against the principles and hence, they would be discarded.
He said there is a need to make the devotees aware of the religious status of the chariots during the festival. On the other hand, Daita Nijog, a clan known as body protectors of the deities, who remain in charge of the deities during the Car festival, vehemently opposed the resolution. Jagannath Swainmahapatra, chief of the Nijog, said, “The opinion of Sankaracharya and others was not binding upon us.
It was a sacred practice running for hundreds of years and the devotees get a special privilege to embrace the lords and climb the Raths. We oppose the decision. It seems the administration and the Daitas would be at loggerheads and the coming Car festival may witness severe disputes.”