Even as the impending Cyclone Amphan has left the people panicked, the Patitapabana Bana (holy flag) atop the Jagannath Temple here snapped off on Monday afternoon leaving many devotees bewildered over the ‘inauspicious’ event.
The Patitapabana Bana was blown off at around 2.05 pm after a strong wind swept over the shrine during a cloudy weather. Later, the flag was tied to the temple’s Nilachakra (blue wheel) by Chunara servitors at around 3.30 pm.
Locals recounted a similar incident during the Cyclone Fani last year.
On the other hand, a Chunara servitor said, “It will not cause any adverse situation; rather, Lord Jagannath tweaked the direction of cyclone saving Puri from devastation.”
On March 19 evening this year, the Patitapabana Bana had caught fire for the first time recently amid the coronavirus pandemic. As per servitors, it was the first such incident in the history of the temple.