Pulling of chariots was delayed despite all co-operation provided by the administration. Being the president of the Daitapati Niyog, should you not be blamed for the delay?

Yes, there was a delay in the pulling of chariots. Hundreds of people are engaged in the car festival. Sometimes, the lack of co-ordination is the cause behind the delay. During this year's car festival, there had been a delay in fitting of the chaarmal (ladders) to the chariots. This had also led to the delay in bringing the deities out of the shrine. Unless the chaarmal is fitted, the deities cannot go atop the chariots.

Besides, many servitors who had no duty near the deities during the pahendi vije (the procession in which Lord comes out from the temple), remained glued to the Trinity. As the event was being telecast live, the servitors did not want to leave the place near the deities, thereby creating problems in the pahendi vije. During the bahuda yatra, we will try to ensure that all these things are avoided and car pulling goes smoothly.

Though there is a court order forbidding any one from touching the deities, we noticed how the devotees touched Lord Jagannath on the day of the rath yatra. Even prior to rath yatra on July 6, the devotees had touched the deities on the snana mandap on June 20. Should not the niyog be held responsible for this?

The high court order speaks of debarring devotees to mount the chariots and touching the deities there. The court has remained silent on the issue of whether the devotees should touch the deities during the pahendi vije or not. On the other hand, no attempt should be made to create a barrier between Lord Jagannath and its devotees. He is the god who manifests love.

Even Puri king Dibya Singh Deb and Gobardhan Peetha Shankaracharya are of the view that devotees should not be allowed to touch the deities and touching the deity is a sin. Do you agree with the view?

Why don't you try to understand the Jagannath culture? He is our family member. He is a living deity, the jianta thakur (living God).

Though I have all regards for Shanakaracharya and the king, in my opinion, no barrier should be made between the god and his devotees. He is known as patitapaban (the lord who saves the helpless).

No attempt should be made to take the deities away from the devotees. I don't subscribe to the views that touching the Lord is a sin. But keeping the security aspect in mind, there should be some regulation. The devotees should not be allowed to mount the chariot on the day of rath yatra and suna besha (the day when the deities are adorned with gold).

On other days during the yatra, the devotees should be allowed to mount chariots for a restricted time period. As this matter is sub-judice, I don't want to comment much on it.

The daitapatis are opposing the move as most of you earn money during the rath yatra by facilitating the devotees' darshan and later allowing them to touch the deities...

These are all baseless allegations. You would be surprised to know that those devotees, who come from far-flung areas of state as well as from outside, are mostly poor. We never expect any money from them. Here, the devotee comes to see his Lord purely out of devotion and his love for the God brings him to the town.

The Nabakalebar of the Trinity got over last year. But the controversy surrounding the Brahma Paribaratan (transfer of soul) is still haunting the minds of devotees. The devotees were shocked to find that transfer of souls had taken place in the evening and not at midnight.

Let me clarify that only the transfer of souls was delayed but nothing had happened with the Brahma. In 1996, the transfer of souls had taken place around 5pm and in 1977, it had been done around 7pm. In this case, our servitors, who are unable to handle the media, gave some contradictory statements after coming out of the shrine and that led to the controversy.

On the other hand, one cannot say when the souls would be transferred. We are His instruments and we cannot dictate Him. Also, there is always a dense darkness inside the sanctum sanctorum. Once you enter the area, you have no idea how time passes away. We had completed all the rituals in dim light. God will decide when He will take birth.

But why did the temple administration suspend two servitors?

After getting conflicting reports, the administration had to act and they suspended two servitors. Later, it withdrew the suspension order and allowed them to take part in the rath yatra this year.

There are allegations that the temple administration had withdrawn the suspension order as both of the servitors are close to you. One of them is also the member of the BJD...

The temple administration had inquired into the incidents leading to delay in transfer of souls and cross-examined a number of servitors. The administration had realised that they had done nothing wrong. The Daitapati Niyog had urged the administration to withdraw the suspension order.

Last year, you had courted controversy by allowing ministers and MLAs to enter to the restricted area where preparation had been made to do the puja of a tree that was to be cut and later taken to Puri for the construction of idols.

I did not commit any mistake. The ministers and MLAs who came to me at that time came as devotees. Besides, we had to discuss with the administration about the route through which the tree would be taken and where the vehicle carrying it would be halted for the public so that they could offer their puja to the " darubrahma."

Had it been so, why did people put up your poster and blackened your face in them?

Anyone can put anybody's poster. But that does not mean that people don't like you. I still get hundreds of letters from different parts of the state appreciating my role during the Nabakalebar. I still remember the day when I had to embark on a journey with others. On that day, my blood sugar level had touched 360. But that did not deter my spirit.

It seems everyone is trying to take credit from the sentiments attached to Lord Jagannath. Don't you feel everyone is playing politics over Lord Jagannath?

In every party - whether it is the BJP, Congress or the BJD -every one is trying to take political mileage from this issue. Let me clarify that those who try to take political mileage will be finished one day.

You are from the BJD. By saying that the BJD is trying to take mileage, are not you inviting problems for yourself?

Yes, the BJD here is in the government. Naturally, it has to play a major role in the smooth conduct of the functioning of the temple. When we notice others are trying to drag Lord Jagannath into politics, the government and party has no other option but to take action accordingly.

Odisha has never witnessed division on caste lines. Don't you think there is an attempt to divide the society on these lines and there could be a crisis emerging with Lord Jagannath in focus?

Yes, I have noticed it. Attempts are being made to divide the state on the basis of caste. Everyone is trying to drag Lord Jagannath into it. This is really unfortunate.

Question marks are being raised on the safety of the temple. The ASI team has already visited the team. How far has the repair work proceeded?

We had made a blunder by handing over our temple to the ASI in 1974. Now, we have no option but to live with what they decide. We had limestone plaster covering the entire structure. But in the name of beautification, they have played havoc with it and de-plastered it.

They forget that people here don't come to see the temple structure and its beautification. For that purpose, we have the Konark temple. Here people come to have a darshan of the Lord and not to see the beauty of the temple.

What can be done at this moment?

We should shift the Trinity to the Mausima temple for two or three months as we had done in 1894. Then we should undertake a complete repair of the temple. I have already given a proposal to the temple administration to this effect, but they are yet to respond to it.

You are a servitor. From where do you get all these gold ornaments to wear? Don't you feel scared to wear them all during the car festival when lakhs of people congregate?

I have inherited the gold ornaments from my ancestors. There are ornaments that are 500 years old. As the grand car festival is associated with our brother, we put on new clothes and wear all the gold ornaments. I have no fear in wearing them.