Bhubaneswar: In a bid to avoid discrepancies in the dates and timing of Odia festivals and rituals, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Tuesday approved five Odia almanacs.
The decision was made after a meeting chaired by Chief Administrator Dr Arabinda Padhee emphasizing that the SJTA will take strict action if any almanacs are found to provide inaccurate information about Odia festivals and rituals, and such almanacs will face legal consequences accordingly.
The approved almanacs include Shree Radharaman Bisudha Khadiratna Panjika, Odisha Kohinoor Press Panjika, Arundoyo Press Khadiratna Panjika, GN Tripathy Utkal Jatiya Khadiratna Panjika and Bhagyadipa Press Panjika, Berhampur.
Speaking to the media, SJTA Chief Sr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee said, “Today, we held a Samikarana meeting to address concerns regarding discrepancies in almanacs. In the recent past, we have conducted several meetings with various servitor bodies, including the Puja Panda Nijog, and invited publishers of five almanacs to join the discussions. The meeting also included representatives from the Mukti Mandap Sabha. The publishers have assured us that there will be no discrepancies related to the timings and dates of festivals and rituals. The temple administration has made it clear that they will be held accountable if any errors are found, and legal action will be taken as per temple regulations. The publishers have been urged to ensure that only festivals approved by the Puri Jagannath temple are published. Following the discussion, five manuscripts were accepted, and the temple administration approved the publication of these five almanacs.”
In recent days, there has been a dispute over errors in various almanacs, including conflicting dates for Diwali Amavasya and Vijaya Dashami. Additionally, there was disagreement over the date of Saraswati Puja this year. As a result, the temple administration convened a meeting to address these issues.
