Puri: A day after hundreds of devotees led by Niali Madhab temple servitors arrived in Puri carrying new clothes for Lord Jagannath, his consort Goddess Mahalaxmi, elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Goddess Subhadra on occasion of ‘Prathamastami’, Shri Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA) Wednesday made it clear that the deities are not related.
Clearing the air over the confusion, SJTA Niti administrator Jitendra Sahu said, “As of now we have not found any factual evidence to prove the claims that Niali Madhav is the maternal uncle of the Holy Trinity.”
Jagannatha temple servitors also echoed a similar sentiment. One of the servitors said,” Even though I have been serving in the temple for many decades now, I am not aware of any such link.”
That said, SJTA administrator Sahu confirmed that the gifts brought along by the servitors of Niali Madhab temple servitors were accepted by SJTA as ‘donation’.
Tuesday, servitors Niali Madhab temple had brought along gifts including traditional robes and money for the Holy Trinity. They claimed Niali Madhab to be the maternal uncle of the Lords in Puri and that they were trying to revive a tradition that was hundreds of years old.
