SJTA to maintain sanctity and dignity of religious bodies

With the row over Puri Shankaracharya's boycott of Rath Jatra rocking Odisha, the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) today decided to take steps to maintain sanctity and dignity of religious bodies and discuss the issue at the temple managing committee meeting.
"We will take up the issue relating to Shankaracharya at Sri Jagannth Temple Managing Committee meeting. SJTA will ensure that dignity of religious bodies remain intact," SJTA chief administrator Aravind Padhee told reporters here.
Padhee, who along with the Special Officer for the June 29 Rath Jatra, Suresh Mohapatra met Chief Secretary J K Mohapatra, said a letter on the issue received from Puri King Dibyasingha Deb, the permanent Chairman of Sri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee would also be discussed.

In his letter to SJTA, the Puri king wanted steps for ending the controversy relating to the restriction put on the Shankaracharya for visiting the chariots during Lord Jagannath's Rath Jatra.
Earlier, Deb had opposed SJTA's letter to the Shankarachaya putting restrictions and asking him to visit the chariots alone without his disciples during Rath Yatra.
Taking strong objection to SJTA's letter, the seer boycotted the annual event and did not visit the chariots to offer prayer and perform rituals before pulling of the raths.

"There is a decorum and standard practice that Shankaracharya and Gajapati Maharaja have to visit chariots with their entourage. The temple administration has no right to interfere in the matter," Deb had said.

Meanwhile, Jagannth Sena, a Puri-based organisation, today demanded unconditional apology from SJTA for its action saying it was an "insult" to the Puri Shankaracharya.
The Jagannath Sena also demanded action against government officials who dared to interfere in religious matters.