Bhubaneswar: On Tuesday, the idol of Lord Balabhadra fell on charamala while it was being taken out from the chariot to a temple as part of the goti pahandi ritual of Rath Yatra festival. The incident has hurt the religious sentiment of Jagannath devotees across the globe. Also, the incident has sparked widespread outrage and concern among devotees worldwide, with many questioning whether Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued for the smooth conduct of the festival was being followed.
It may be mentioned that more than seven servitors of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri sustained injuries after Lord Balabhadra’s idol fell on charamala while being carried to Adpa Mandap in Sri Gundicha temple.
The incident has, meanwhile, invited flak for servitors assigned for the Pahandi ritual with devotees blaming overcrowding of servitors during the pahandi ritual and calling for greater discipline and vigilance to prevent such unfortunate incidents in future.
When asked, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said, “It was a minor mishap. Thanks to God’s grace, nothing major happened. All the servitors had minor injuries.”
Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said, “The servitors who sustained injuries in the mishap are out of danger. Most of them even immediately participated in the rituals after being discharged from the hospital. It’s nobody’s mistake. Lord Mahaprabhu knows what led to such a mishap. Instead of dwelling upon such things, we should pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Steps will be taken in the coming days to make the Rath Yatra hassle-free.”
However, temple servitors have expressed concern over the lack of measures taken to ensure the safety of the Lord’s idol and the servitors themselves. “Such an incident has never happened in the history of the festival,” said one servitor. “Despite repeated requests to make the pahandi bije ritual more disciplined, no measures have been taken.”
Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said, “Injured servitors were hospitalized soon after the mishap. An inquiry will be launched to ascertain why such an incident happened.”
The incident has sparked a heated debate over the need for greater vigilance and safety measures to ensure the well-being of the idols and the servitors during the festival. Devotees are calling for swift action to prevent such incidents in the future.
