The Odisha Government, instead of taking a confrontation course against Jagadguru Shankaracharya on the issue of devotees climbing the chariot and touching the deities, should have struck to provisions of law and gracefully accepted the advice of the seer, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a release. If the Government had gone by the rule book, an unnecessary controversy could have been avoided, the Minister opined.
Pradhan said Shankaracharya is the final advisor on the issue of rituals of the deities as per the statutorily recognised record of rights. While his opinion is accepted by the managing committee of the temple and endorsed by non less than Gajapati Maharaja Divya Singhadev, the Government had no valid ground to get into the controversy and reverse the decision, he said.
Due to State Government’s unwanted interference, the High Court had to get into the matter while it was absolute clear in the records of rights that the power of the State extends only to secular functions and not to religious
rituals.
Pradhan said Shankaracharaya, Gajapati Maharaja and the Srimandir Managing Committee need to be given absolute authority on religious matters and the Government should only take care of law and order and provide logistics support.