The Muktimandap Pandit Sabha of the Jagannath Temple has rectified a mistake in the certified Panji (almanac) following its erring timetables for the lunar eclipse on November 8. The Pandit Sabha said a printing error has been found and the same has been rectified. People are advised to follow 5.54 am before sunrise as deadline for rituals instead of 8.39 am as mentioned earlier, said Pandit Sabha secretary Praful Mishra.
Error in the Panji came to notice after one Sudarshan Tripathy of Paralakhemundi wrote a letter to the Muktimadap seeking clarification on the timetables as different almanacs prescribed different timetables. Finally, the Pandit Sabha admitted that the Panji certified by it had erroneous timings for the eclipse day.
However, yet another controversy is shrouding the Jagannath Temple concerning the practice of Grahan Niti (rites during eclipse) at 2.39 pm onwards in the temple. Although the Pandit Sabha kept itself away from the row, yet some questioned the logic behind the hours of the rituals before the eclipse. It is worth mentioning here that the eclipse will occur at 5.09 pm and will last till 6.19 pm. For this, the rites in the Jagannath Temple will be accomplished early before sunrise of the day.
“I don’t find any logic behind the Grahan Niti hours before the eclipse. When eclipse is not visible, how the rites would be practiced,” questioned Pandit Harisankar Mishra of Mukimandap. He told Grahan Niti could only be accomplished after eclipse is visible.
When asked, Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) informed that the tradition of the Jagannath Temple in Puri is different from other shrines. When all other shrines are off for rituals, the Jagannath Temple has rites during the eclipse, said Niti Administrator Jitendra Sahu. He added that the SJTA is following the customs.