Two groups of Puri servitors ask members to stay away from Digha Jagannath temple rituals

Puri, Two major associations of servitors of the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri on Tuesday asked its members not to take part in the inaugural rituals at the newly-constructed shrine in West Bengal's Digha.
The consecration ceremony of the Jagannath temple in the seaside town of Digha will be held on the auspicious occasion of the 'Akshay Trithiya' on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The Digha temple, built by the West Bengal government, is a replica of the shrine in Puri, located around 350 km away. It has been built on a 24-acre plot at a cost of nearly ₹250 crore.
The Suar Mahasuar Nijog and Puspalaka Nijog have asked their members to stay away from the consecration ceremony or face a boycott at the Puri temple.
While members of the Suar Mahasuar Nijog prepare food at the Puri temple, the Puspalak Nijog members decorate the sibling deities of Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath.
"We welcome the new Jagannath temple in Digha. There is no bar on servitors visiting the Digha temple, but they cannot cook there," said Padmanava Mahasuar, the president of the Suar Mahasuar Nijog.
He said there are hundreds of Jagannath temples across the country, but the rituals of the shrine in Puri are based on scriptures.
"The Puri temple is mentioned in mythology because Lord Vishnu have food here. Therefore, the 'Suars' and 'Mahasuars' have a special place in the shrine. They are not mere cook, but blessed ones dedicated to the service of the Lord," he said.
"They should not cook in other places like catering services," he added.
Cautioning its members against participating in rituals at the Digha temple, Puspalaka Nijog's secretary Harekrushna Singhari said, "Any member found defying the order will face strict action."
Sudarshan Pujapanda, who performs pujas at the Puri temple, also denounced the idea of servitors performing rituals at the Digha temple.
"We should uphold the pride of being the servitors of Shree Jagannath Dham. The servitors here are not on anyone's payroll, but are dedicated to the service of the lord. They perform rituals as part of devotion and dedication to the Maha Vishnu, who is worshipped in the form of Lord Jagannath," he said.
Speaking to PTI over the phone, Rajesh Daitapati of the Daitapati Nijog said, "About 50 servitors from Puri have gone to Digha on the invitation of the Digha Jagannath Temple's trust board. They will take part in the inauguration of the temple."
However, he did not clarify if any members of the Suar Mahasuar and Pushpalak Nijogs had gone to Digha.
Daitapati Nijog is responsible for some rituals during the annual Rath Yatra in Puri. Among them is carrying the idols of the deities to their chariots.
A senior official of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration said, "If some servitors are going to perform rituals in Digha, it is their conscience. The administration has no role in interfering with the procedures of other temples. Our priority is to maintain age-old rituals in Puri."
Lakhs of devotees from West Bengal visit the Jagannath temple in Puri every year.
The day-to-day activities of the Digha temple will be managed by ISKCON.

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