July 11th 2024.
In a recent turn of events, BJD leader and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, has written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, expressing his concern and urging him to take action against those responsible for the fall of the Lord Balabhadra idol during the Rath Yatra festival. This incident has deeply saddened devotees all over the world, according to Patnaik.
Patnaik, who himself is a former chief minister, holds Lord Jagannath in high regard as the symbol of Odia culture and the identity of the people of Odisha. He stated that the incident during the Pahandi of Lord Balabhadra was unprecedented and has never happened in the tradition of Rath Yatra. As a devotee himself, he was shocked and could not believe his eyes that such a mishap could occur.
During the Rath Yatra festival, at least nine servitors of the Puri Jagannath temple were injured when the idol of Lord Balabhadra fell on them while it was being taken from the chariot to a temple. This unfortunate incident took place during the Pahandi ritual, where the heavy wooden idol was being brought down from Lord Balabhadra's chariot to be taken to the Gundicha temple. It seems that the individuals carrying the idol lost control of it, leading to the accident.
Patnaik also expressed his disappointment with the insensitive comments made by some members of the Odisha Cabinet regarding such a sensitive matter. He believes that their approach has only added to the grief of Jagannatha lovers and has deeply hurt the feelings of all the devotees. He urged the chief minister to personally intervene and take necessary steps to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future.
In light of this incident, Senior BJP leader and Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab has questioned the presence of a large number of people on the chariot during the Pahandi ritual. He demands action against those responsible for the mishap. In a separate development, a complaint has been filed by some advocates in the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar, demanding action against Jagannath temple chief administrator V V Yadav. They claim that he was not present at the time of the Pahandi ritual and should be held accountable for the incident.
It is evident that this incident has caused great distress and concern among the devotees of Lord Jagannath. The government must take swift action to address the situation and ensure that such a tragedy does not occur again. As a symbol of Odia culture and identity, Lord Jagannath holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Odisha, and it is imperative that his rituals and traditions are carried out with utmost care and precaution.
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