A perch at any of the best places from where to see the deities, as they move out of the sanctum sanctorum and cruise down Grand Road in Puri, can cost you an affordable Rs 200 or ten times more at Rs 2000

The first servitor of Lord Jagannath, Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb, is the cynosure of all eyes. The Puri king, who ascended the throne at the age of 17 in 1970, is a master’s degree holder in law from the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. After a brief stint in Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India, he quit the legal profession in 1980 to devote himself to his traditional duties as the adya sevak and chairman of the 12th century shrine. As the holy town gears up for the annual chariot festival, the Puri royal family scion spoke to Subhashish Mohanty and Shilpi Sampad of The Telegraph

You are the king of Puri but have no kingdom, no army. You have been performing the Gajapati Maharaja Seva for over four decades. How does it feel?

The seva was earlier performed by the former sovereign rulers of Odisha. Hence, it is known as Gajapati Maharaja Seva. Today, the tradition involves only the seva, without the kingship. People refer to me as Gajapati Maharaja as I am continuing the seva, having been born into that family, into that tradition. I am like any other citizen of this country. Except for this seva, there is nothing else that distinguishes me from other citizens.

You are considered as the first servitor of Lord Jagannath. Have you ever experienced the Lord manifest before you?

I don’t understand why we must look for an extraordinary experience. Sometimes people look for such experiences just to assure themselves that the Lord exists. But when you see the sun rising, flowers blooming, the honeybees buzzing, what else do you need to feel that divinity is around you? Extraordinary events do happen but I have never looked for them. For me and all other followers of the sanatan dharma, everything is divine. We need not look for anything miraculous to find a manifestation of divinity. It exists in every incident, every moment.

What do you experience while performing the chhera pahanra (chariot sweeping) rituals with the ceremonial gold broom?

The bhav (sentiments) of a devotee cannot be put down in words. All I can say is that a sevak of Lord Jagannath, or for that matter, a devotee of any other lord, has to perform seva with complete surrender and devotion. And at that moment, we pray to him to give us that bhav so that we can render the seva the way it should be done.

Don’t you find it ironical that you are the Gajapati Maharaja but without a gaj (elephant) during the rath yatra for the last four years?

The title Gajapati is purely symbolical now. I remember we had three elephants when I was a child. They were trained to be a part of the rath yatra procession. But now, we don’t have trained elephants and the ones at Nandankanan Zoo are not accustomed with the rath yatra crowd. If the elephant goes berserk, you can imagine the destruction it can wreak. However, there are trained elephants in Kerala and it is for the government to decide how much priority or investment they can give for the haathi seva (elephant service).

You are the chairman of the temple managing committee but there are several issues concerning the temple that are unresolved…

Under the Sri Jagannath Act, 1955, Gajapati Maharaja assumes the hereditary role of the chairman of the committee, while other members are nominated by the government. The committee has no administrative or executive powers whatsoever. Temple issues are extremely sensitive and complex, coming down from hundreds of years. So, we will require time to resolve them. The committee and the temple administration have to be supported and monitored closely by the government. Since the takeover of temple in 1960, the government is monitoring it only once a year — on rath yatra. After that, the government gets busy with its other affairs and the issues of the temple are sent to the cold storage of policy implementation. The managing committee and temple administration are struggling to face the challenges and without the power and push of the state government, they cannot break through it.

What is your view on allowing parmanik darshan in which devotees are allowed to step into the sanctum sanctorum for offering prayers to the Lord? The temple administration is opposing it.

No one is disturbing the traditional darshan system. In our record of rights, the sarva sadharan darshan or sahana mela has got statutory authority. That is done twice a day — in the morning and evening. The parmanik darshan is in the process of being worked out. When you introduce a change, the satisfaction of the sevayats as well as the devotees need to be taken into consideration.

There is a controversy on placing Lord Jagannath in the ninth position in the panel of dasavatara on top of the temple entrance.

To my knowledge, Lord Jagannath was there in the ninth position in the dasavatara panel on the top of the Singha Dwara (entrance). Scholars are of the view that the Lord, being the avatari (supreme of the universe), cannot be placed along with other avatars such as Buddha. However, to bring about any change, we have to take advice of the spiritual masters, the Mukti Mandap of Puri temple and the Shankaracharya. Changes can be made only with their consent. The Archaeological Survey of India cannot change anything.

Why is the temple managing committee not allowing people from other religions to enter the temple?

In religion, tradition plays a great role. It is very difficult to change that. In the Jagannath temple, a tradition has been established according to which only Hindus are allowed. When the Mughals invaded Odisha, they wanted to destroy the temple. Even when King Ramachandra Deb showed inclination towards Islam, he was denied entry into the temple. In case of any changes, the views of spiritual masters, the Shankaracharya, the Mukti Mandap and the people of Odisha, who are the custodian of the temple, have to be taken into account. However, those who cannot enter the temple, can see the Lord at its entrance where he manifests himself as Patitapabana. Besides, the Lord comes out to meet his devotees on three major occasions, including the rath yatra. Anyone can offer prayers or embrace him during that time.

In her three decades as queen of Puri, Lilabati Pattamahadei has performed puja in the temple only once, in 2007. When will we see her doing the same again?

My mother and my grandmother also performed the puja once in their lifetime. During the sari bandhan ceremony, the Gajapati ties the sari on the queen’s head. But during that time, the temple premises are vacated before the queen enters it. Besides the Gajapati, the Modi rath, a young boy of sevayat family and a Brahmin woman are present to assist the queen to perform the seva. This arrangement is difficult to make.

How do you manage your livelihood?

The Lord has taken care of that. The surplus area of the palace is being used for commercial activities. But, I don’t involve myself in it. I have my staff members to look after it. My only focus is spiritual uplift in society — that is the highest service to the Lord.

You don’t have a son. How will the tradition of Gajapati Maharaja seva continue?

I am blessed with four daughters. But according to tradition, only the male heir can carry on this seva. Adoption is also an option before us. My grandfather, and even his grandfather, was adopted. But the Lord will decide the right time for everything.

Men of the moment

Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb, Maharaja of Puri: He is the first servitor of Lord Jagannath and performs the chhera pahanra (chariot sweeping) rituals on rath yatra day. After the deities are mounted on their respective chariots, the Gajapati, in keeping with tradition, arrives in a palanquin. Sprinkling scented holy water on the floor of the chariots, he sweeps it with a gold-handled broom. A master’s degree holder from the School of Law, Northwestern University, Chicago, the Gajapati has been performing the services since the 70s following his father’s death.

Nischalananda Saraswati, Puri Shankaracharya: He is the chief representative of Sanatan Hindu Dharma and plays an important role in all proceedings of the Jagannath temple in Puri. According to legend, Adi Shankaracharya installed the trinity in the Jagannath temple in 483 BC. Therefore, he is the first to offer prayers to the deities on rath yatra after they take their place in their respective chariots. He has been enjoying this privilege since 1992. The Puri king proceeds for the chhera pahanra only after the Shankaracharya consecrates the chariots.

Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, baada graahi: Popularly known as Jaguni bhai, he is the baada graahi or chief servitor of Lord Jagannath. The daitapatis are believed to be the kin of the deities since they have a tribal origin just like Lord Jagannath. On rath yatra day, Jaguni bhai is entrusted with special duties, from getting the Lord ready for the holy journey to escorting him to his Nandighosha chariot. He supervises all rituals and the pulling of the chariot.

Haldhar Das Mahapatra, baada graahi: He is the chief servitor of Lord Balabhadra, elder brother of Lord Jagannath. He is in charge of all services of Lord Balabhadra and manages the Taladhwaja chariot on rath yatra day. Like other servitors, he attends to and serves the deities during their anasara (fortnight-long hibernation period) during which devotees are denied darshan.

Ramchandra Das Mohapatra, baada graahi: He is the chief servitor of Goddess Subhadra and looks after the services offered to her. He heads the responsibility of executing all rituals related to the goddess during various festivities at the temple. It is under his guidance that all the services, rituals and the pulling of Goddess Subhadra’s Debadalana chariot are carried out.

Bijaya Mahapatra, chief carpenter for Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha
“Many people across the globe construct chariots but no one can replicate the ones we make. It is with Lord Jagannath’s blessings that we are carrying out this service year after year.”

Narasingha Maharana, chief carpenter of Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhwaja
“I had seen my father and grandfather making the chariots exactly the way they are built today. It is a family tradition and we are blessed to be able to render our services to the lord.”

Krushna Chandra Maharana, chief carpenter of Goddess Subhadra’s Debadalana
“It is a challenging job, but we are sure of meeting the target with God’s blessings. We will make sure that the divine siblings have a safe and comfortable ride to their aunt’s house during rath yatra.”

— Shilpi Sampad