Bhubaneswar, June 22: The controversy over allowing devotees to touch the idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings has resurfaced with Puri King Gajapati Dibya Singh Deb joining issue here today.
The Puri King today said in no uncertain terms that the practice of touching the idols of the Trinity should not be allowed and to buttress his stance he referred to the pronouncement that Jagatguru Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati had made in 2013.
Talking to reporters in the wake of a controversy over a group of devotees touching deities in the midnight of Snana Purnima (ritual bathing of deities) on June 20, Deb said: "The deities at the Shree Jagannath Temple should not be treated as dolls and devotees should not be allowed to touch the idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings either inside the sanctum sanctorum or outside. Sentiments are attached to the deities and its sanctity should be maintained at all costs."
Reaffirming his uncompromising stance, he said: "Touching the idols is totally prohibited. Jagatguru Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati has already given his views on this issue in November 2013. There should be no debate on this issue".
The issue of allowing devotees to touch the deities or climb the chariots had cropped up when the Jagannath temple police had beaten up 32-year-old US national Noel Magee Hayden as he stood on Lord Jagannath's car during rath yatra on June 22, 2012. The incident had prompted the temple administration to seek the views of the Shankaracharya on whether devotees should be allowed to mount the chariots and touch the deities.
On July 21, 2013, Italy-born Odissi dancer Ileana Citaristi had lodged a police complaint that a servitor had manhandled her atop Nandighosha, which is Lord Jagannath's mount. Later, the temple administration had sought the Shankaracharya's view on the vexed issue.
After talking to scholars, the Shankaracharya had opined that devotees should be prohibited from touching the deities.
In June 2014, Orissa High Court had said in its order that the Shankaracharya's opinion was binding and there should be no dispute over it. Later in 2015, the temple administration had issued a circular prohibiting the devotees from touching the deities.
Citing the view of the Shankaracharya and the high court's verdict, the Puri King said that only "authorised sevekas" should be allowed to touch the deities.
"No one should be allowed to touch the deities on the ratnasimhasan (bejewelled throne) inside the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum), snana mandap, adap mandap or any other place. Even touching of the deities during pahandi (procession), or on the chariots is prohibited," he said.
He said the temple management committee should not be blamed for such incidents.
"It's the state administration that should intervene and see that the rituals are properly followed," the King said.
On the issue of revoking suspension of the two servitors punished by the temple management committee for creating trouble that led to delay in the transfer of souls (Brahmaparivartan) during the Nabakalebara festival, the King said: "The chief administrator enjoys the power to suspend and to revoke suspension. I have nothing to comment on that. But the chief administrator is yet to place the report on the last year's Brahmaparivartan fiasco."
