UNIFORMITY IN RITUALS IN ALL JAGANNAT TEMPLE ACROSS INDIA

UNIFORMITY IN RITUALS IN ALL JAGANNAT TEMPLE ACROSS INDIA 1/01/2012
ODISHA NEWS:

The Jagannath temple in Puri has started efforts to standardize uniform rituals in all Jagannath temples across the globe and is organizing a national conference in this regard.

Talking to the media persons on Saturday, Gajapati Maharaja of Puri Dibyasingha Deb said a five-day meet titled ‘Sri Jagannath Aikya Sthapana’ would be held at Puri from February 9 to 14 this year focusing on bringing about uniformity in rituals and festivities in all Jagannath temples.

As per sources, there are about 3,421 Jagannath temples in India, including 1,638 in Odisha. However, the temples follow their daily rituals and customs while observing the annual festivals on their own.


The Jagannath Temple Administration (JTA) will bring together chiefs of more than 1,000 temples from across India, scholars and Jagannath cult propagators to deliberate on the issue in February, said Deb.


Hundreds of Jagannath temples are there in the state and abroad and new temples are also coming up. Srimandir administration requests them to follow at least some rituals in their service to Lord Jagannath, out of those being followed in Srimandir.

A national-level conference will be held on February 10 and 11 to make the administrators of the Jagannath temples aware about the rituals followed at the Srimandir for bringing parity in rituals and festivals in all temples throughout the world, the Gajapati said.

He said that apart from similar rituals and festivals, the traditional restrictions at the Puri temple on the basis of religion may not be applicable to the Jagannath temples elsewhere in the state, country and abroad.

He also informed that while other epics are silent about Jagannath, the epic ‘Skandha Purana’ has narrated about Purusottam Khetra Puri and the glory of Lord Jagannath in detail in a chapter.

During the ‘Sri Jagannath Pancha Ratra’, different topics regarding Lord Jagannath, based on the epic, will be discussed.

For five days, a special analysis on ‘Skandha Purana’ will be organised.

The conference will be inaugurated by Sankaracharya of Puri Nischalananda Saraswati Maharaj and all the programmes will be held at Saradhabali, Town Hall and collector’s conference hall in Puri.

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA
BUREAU CHIEF, THESE DAYS,
ODISHA