**Bhubaneswar: ** It seems that the concept of Kingship has fascinated Achyuta Samanta as he followed the ‘Rajyabhishek’ ritual of Puri Gajapati, as is evident by the photographs which are now viral on social media.
Achyuta Samanta, the founder of organisation KIIT University on Friday participated in the annual ritual of the varsity’s Jagannath Temple, where he was potrayed in a royal attire.
As the pictures of Samanta’s coronation went viral on social media, tension sparked-off in Puri with the Jagannath Sena activists, who levelled allegations of misrepresentation of the Jagannath Temple culture.
It has evoked sharp reactions across some sections in Puri. The protesters burnt banners with Samanta’s photo and raised slogans against him. They demanded Samanta’s unconditional apology for the alleged self-conceited lavishness and misrepresentation of the rituals.
Priyadarshan Patnaik, Convenor of Jagannath Sena said, “He is not our enemy but to self proclaim himself as the King is unpardonable. There are many persons whose Rajyabhiseka is conducted, as it has been carried out traditionally for many generations in their families. But what is the legacy of Achyut Samanta? How can he compare himself with the Gajapati of Puri? He should come down on his knees and ask for forgiveness from Lord Jagannath for his crime within 48 hours. Else we would assess legal options and demand his arrest.”
“We are deeply hurt by this action of Achyuta Samanta as it is against the tradition and culture of Lord Jagannath temple. It has hurt our sentiments. He aped the ritual conducted only for the Gajapati of Puri and that too, on the same particular day,” said Chinmaya Dash, Convenor, Puri Sanskruti Surakhya Mancha.
When OMMCOM NEWS contacted KIIT PRO Ratnakar Pati, he clarified, “This is a ritual followed in the Jagannath temple constructed on the KIIT premises since 2008. As the temple is a replica of the Jagannath Temple of Puri, it follows all the rituals and conducts it religiously. Even the Gajapati of Puri is aware of it. So why so much hue and cry over such a small issue?