We have almost reached the final stage of preparations. The process will kick off on Sunday evening. A group of nearly 150 servitors, including 14 brahmins, deula purohita, rajaguru and biswakarmas (architects who make the chariots), will leave Puri in search of the sacred wood that will be used for making the new idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings — known as Nabakalebar. The team of servitors will stay at Jagannath Ballava Mutt on Sunday. The next day, they will start their trek of nearly 60km to Maa Managal Temple at Kakatpur. On the way, they will make two night halts. On April 3, they will perform the necessary rituals and pujas at Maa Mangala Temple and the following day, they will set out in search of the sacred wood. It will take at least eight to 10 days to identify the right kind of wood.
How will the wood be brought to Puri after the wood is identified?
Once the wood is identified, it will be brought to the temple in carts pulled by the servitors. We are keen to ensure complete secrecy as far as identification of the wood is concerned. We will urge all media houses to check with the temple administration before publishing or broadcasting about it. If the people get to know about it, lakhs of devotees will congregate at that spot where the sacred tree is reported identified. That will create a law and order problem.
Once the wood is identified, we will make arrangements to protect it.
When will this process be completed?
The process of finding the wood and bringing it to Puri will be over by May 15. On June 15, the brahma paribartan (changing the soul) of the deities will take place. That night, the lights of the Jagannath temple will be switched off and a particular group of servitors (daitapaits) will perform the ritual. The old idols of the Lords will be buried in the 'Koili Baikuntha' within the temple premises on the same night. The naba jauban darshan (first sighting of the deities) would take place on July 17. Rath yatra would be held the following day.
lServitors of Maa Mangala temple at Kakatpur have threatened to boycott the Banajaga yatra...
All the issues of the servitors of Maa Mangala temple have been sorted out. They have extended their support to the Puri temple administration, which will pay all expenses related to Nabakalebar and their dues. So, we hope the yatra will be a smooth affair.
Has the temple administration issued any guidelines on who will be part of group that would embark on the journey in search of the sacred wood?
The Daitapati Niyog, with the help of the temple management committee, has decided the members of group for the Banajaga Yatra. That exercise has already been completed. No one who is sick will take part in the yatra because the journey is strenuous. We made the servitors undergo a medical check-up for the purpose. We have requested the servitors who are not physically fit to pull out of the yatra on their own.
Both servitors and devotees are upset with the temple administration’s decision not to allow devotees
to have the naba jauban darshan. Is there is any plan to revoke the decision?
We will stick to our decision. One must understand the reason behind it. There are many rituals associated with the Lord on naba jauban darshan, which falls just one day before rath yatra. We can at best allow 5,000 to 10,000 devotees to enter the temple to get a glimpse of the deities but there would be lakhs of them waiting to have a darshan. So it would be wise not to let anyone have a darshan on that day. They can do it on the rath yatra day. We have not forgotten what happened in 1977. Things had come to such a pass that the rath yatra could not be held on the scheduled day. Later, Justice P.K. Patra Commission had inquired into the incident and recommended that naba jauban darshan be stopped. In 1996, the recommendation was followed. The
then chief minister (J.B. Patnaik) even banned the entry
of VIPs into the temple for the darshan.
Does it imply that the temple administration will not allow VIPs to have the darshan this time, too?
Definitely. If we allow it, there will be a mess. Hundreds of VIPs will turn up and this may lead to a law and order problems.
You were the collector of Puri in 1996 and had played a big role in the successful conduct of Nabakalebar then. You are again at the helm of affairs. What is the difference between the Nabakalebar in 1996 and now?
Three is a media hype this time. People already know what is going to happen. We are expecting 15 to 20 lakh people on the rath yatra day itself as the road and railway communication has developed. The number of cars has increased as compared to 1996. People are more enthusiastic and want to visit Puri during the rath yatra. But we are confident that the Nabakalebar and rath yatra would be held peacefully with cooperation from all sections of the society.
We have already seen there are differences among servitors, which sometimes threaten the smooth conduct of rath yatra. Have all their problems been sorted out?
Yes, almost. However, there are some internal problems in the Daiatapati Niyog. We will be trying to sort these out as well.
Are there differences between Puri king Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb and the servitors?
No.
Puri Sankaracharya Nishalananda Saraswati did not come to take part in the rath yatra last year. Will he come this time?
There is no problem for Sankarachrya to come and have a darshan of the deities during rath yatra. But according to the record of rights of the temple, he has no rituals to perform on the chariots on the occasion.
Will the temple administration go and invite him to come and take part in the rath yatra?
According to practice, we don’t invite anyone to come and take part in the rath yatra, If any VIPs come, they just inform the temple administration and we make arrangements accordingly. The Shankaracharay’s office also informs us about his visit during the rath yatra. Once that is done, we can act accordingly and he can go and perform the puja.
Will you allow common devotees to climb up on the chariots during rath yatra. The issue has been quite controversial...
No. We will stick to our decision of not allowing anyone except those concerned with the rituals on the chariots.
A dozen committees have been constituted for Nabakalebar. Were they really required?
Need I comment on this? The government has formed these committees for better management of Nabakalebar.
What is the total budget for Nabakalebara this year?
I don’t have a detailed knowledge about it as a number of line departments are involved. They have their own budgets. The total budget must be around Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 core. But temple management has its own budget for this purpose. (The temple management has earmarked Rs 21 crore for this purpose).
Nearly 57,000 acres of land of the Shree Jagananth has been identified across the state. Has the temple administration taken any steps to get it back?
Yes. We have already taken steps and brought part of it back to our possession.
Many Nabakalebar related work have not been completed. Will it be possible to meet the deadline?
You should not ask me this question now. We are hoping everything will be completed in time. You should ask me this question in June.
Is there any threat to the Jagannath temple at this time?
As lakhs of people will congregate, there will certainly be a threat perception for the temple. We are in touch with the police to ensure that nothing untoward happens.
