The much-publicised Das Inquiry Commission on Shree Jagannath Temple reforms of Puri has issued notification in various newspapers on October 4, inviting public suggestions on six aspects such as safety and security of the temple, administration and management of affairs of the temple, facilities for devotees, welfare measures for servitors, propagation of Shree Jagannath culture and other related matters.
Coming under sharp criticism from public and Opposition on the irregularities in niti-kanti, committed by some servitors during the Bahuda Rath Yatra of 2016, the Odisha Government notified a commission in July 2016, as per Commission of Inquiry Act 1952. The commission, headed by Justice Bimal Prasad Das, a retired Judge of Odisha High Court, shall conduct the inquiry and submit its report to the State Government. Though the sittings of the commission shall be ordinarily held at its office at Cuttack, the commission can conduct proceedings in other places.
The State Government has declared that it will bring reforms in temple administration based on the recommendation of the commission. However, the State Government did not want to make the commission a punitive one by keeping out the 2016- Nilandri Bije irregularities from its purview. On the other hand, it appears to be a reformative commission which will recommend the State Government on the future changes in temple law and policy. One important area that has been left out as a special subject from the scope of the commission is resource protection, generation and management though endowment has been kept as a minor subject.
The first concern of the public relates to the commitment of the State Government to the commission. In the past, successive State Governments did not show seriousness to the Jagannath Temple commissions. Six persons had died during the popular Nagarjuna Besa festival in 1993. The then Government had set up an inquiry panel, known as the Justice J Mohapatra Commission. The commission reportedly submitted its observations to the next Government on August 31, 1995. But in Nov 2006, the then law Minister, admitted in the House that the commission’s report was missing. All valuable recommendations were lost. Again in 2006, Justice PK Mohanty Inquiry Commission was set up to investigate into the stampede that occurred inside Shri Jagannath Temple on November 4, 2006 during the famous Kartika Bada Osha festival, resulting in death of four devotees and injuring several others. But the commission gave report to the State Government after three years in 2009 and the Cabinet approved the recommendations of the commission after 6 years in November, 2015.
As this commission is reformative in nature, let us hope that the State Government shall extend the necessary support to the commission to finish the task within two years and table the report in the Assembly before 2019 Assembly polls. Though religious reform is a slow process but it has to start either sectorally or comprehensively. The irregularity reported during the Nabakalebar Brahma Parivartan niti-kanti in 2015 had rung the alarm bell for Jagnnath Temple reform.
Taking a glimpse of the temple history, it appears that the kings were looking after the temple since its construction in 12 AD. The system of worship of the deities carries an unbroken tradition over 800 years. With the British occupation of Odisha in 1803, the management of the Jagannath Temple was taken over by the East India Company for 3 years but was again reverted to kings. In 1885, the British filed a suit to take over the management of the temple and this attempt was foiled by Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das who fought the case as a lawyer and the suit was decreed in favour of the queen. After independence, the State Assembly enacted the Shree Jagannath Temple Act - 1955 for management of the affairs of the temple which came into force from December, 1960. In terms of the provision of the act, the management, administration and governance of the temple vest in a committee known as the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee under the chairmanship of Gajapati Maharaja of Puri with the district Collector, the Endowment Commissioner, the servitors, the mutt representatives and eminent public as members where Temple Administrator discharges executive function.
The Act was amended and the 1983 amendment even talked about formation of a Shree Jagnnath Temple Foundation Fund. The law Ministry is in charge of temple affairs. Though the three ritual dimensions of Puri temple such as indoor functions, outdoor annual Rath yatra and once in 2 decades Nabakalebar functions are well managed by the State Governments after Independence, there is growing risk to temple structure and increased incidence of strained relation among the 3 key stakeholders viz- the local administrators, the devotees and the servitors. During last Nabakalebar, even the congenial relation among Puri Sankaracharya, Puri Maharaja, the servitors and the Government was strained which started from the issue of Rath climbing and deity touching . During the current year’s Bahuda Yatra, conflict again erupted between the dist administration and some sections of servitors on Rath climbing issue and the matter has gone to the court. The explosive situation calls for urgent and serious amendments in the Temple Act of 1955 so that the temple becomes a place of blissfulness instead of becoming a volcano of stakeholders’ conflict, devotee harassment and sadness.
The first area where commission seeks public opinion is safety and security of the lord Jagannath Temple. The normal time risk to temple structure is very high due to sea salinity attack and aging of the structure. In this situation, the State Government depends on ASI for repairs. But the poor delivery capacity of ASI needs to be redressed and there should be a Cabinet subcommittee and a House committee on temple structure maintenance. Besides, improvement in counter-terrorism pertaining to safety and security system has to be a continuous Home Ministry subject. Steps have to be taken for effective policing inside the temple. As Puri is a cyclone prone zone, there should be protection mechanism to withstand Super Cyclone wind speed and storms. Temple structure safety is of paramount importance which neither the State nor the Union Government is taking seriously.
The second area of inquiry relates to better administration and management of the affairs of the temple in the sub areas of (a) niti-kanti and seva puja of the lords and streamlining the duties of the employees of the temple and persons connected there to, (b) timely supply of commodities required for performing niti-kanti and seva puja (c) determination of payments or remuneration to different sevaks, pujaris, such other persons employed for seva puja. Here the predominant issue is payment to servitors. Opposition parties protest when the Government pays some servitors compensation during Rath yatras. Can some servitors be appointed as employeesIJ What should or should not be the rights of the servitorsIJ The third area where the commission wants public opinion covers facilities for devotees which include beautification of temple, smooth darshan, mahaprasad sevan, better communication and accommodation facilities at Puri. This is a major interest area of the devotees who need hassle free temple atmosphere and cleanliness inside temple. What is needed here is not investment but the devotee-friendly-mindset of the servitors and the will of the Government to punish the erring servitors. Darshan during Rath Yatra and other functions should be stampede free. The fourth area of inquiry relates to welfare measures for sevaks and their family members relating to education and training, health and housing facilities. Here education facility is highly essential for the children of the servitors to make them skilled manpower. Finally, the commission report should end with amendment of Temple Act with redefined rights of the servitors and the devotees and roles of the Government, the Maharaja and the Sankaracharya.