The Odisha High Court on Friday issued notices to the State Government and to the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) on a PIl that questions the propriety of the managing committee in seeking the opinion of the Shankaracharya in September 2013 as to who has the right to climb atop the chariots of the lords during the Car festival and touch the deities.
A Bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanti and Justice DP Choudhury issued the notices on the PIl filed by one Basant Kumar Behera of Cuttack city. Stating that the move by the SJTMC to seek the opinion of the Shankaracharya and subsequently accepting the opinion of the Shankaracharya over the issue was “erroneous” and “illegal”, the petitioner has pleaded the High Court to quash the decision of the managing committee taken on August 17, 2013.
It may be mentioned here that following a hue and cry made during the Rath Yatra of 2012 when a foreign national climbed atop the chariots, the temple managing committee sought an opinion from the Shankaracharya over the controversial issue. The Shankaracharya gave his opinion saying that only Brahmins, who are engaged in seva puja are entitled to climb atop the chariots and touch the deities.
The Shankaracharya further said that he himself and the Gajapati Maharaja are also entitled to climb atop the chariots during the Rath Yatra to have seva puja. Terming the opinion of Shankaracharya as “unwarranted”, the petitioner said that the same opinion is also contrary to the Record-of-Rights (RoR) prepared under the Puri Sri Jagannath Temple (Administration) Act of 1952.