Puri: The Jagannath temple authorities in Odisha’s Puri Wednesday tendered an apology to the public and stopped the sale of calendars with a picture of the sibling deities in wrong positions on the ‘Ratna Singhasan’ in the 12th-century shrine.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) explained that the photograph, which featured in the 2026 calendar, was a copy of a century-old artwork on a palm leaf manuscript, collected from the Odisha State Museum.
“This is the work of a painter of that time. It is hoped that Shree Jagannath lovers will not misunderstand it,” the SJTA said in a statement.
Amid statewide outrage over the picture of deities- Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath – in wrong positions on the ‘Ratna Singhasan’ (Bejewelled throne), the chief administrator of the temple has asked officials concerned to “suspend the sale of the calendars and issue an apology for this unintentional mistake”, the SJTA said.
The BJD termed the change of position of the deities in the calendar picture as “extremely unfortunate”.
“In the illustrations, Lord Balabhadra has been placed in the position of Lord Jagannath, while Lord Jagannath appears in Balabhadra’s position. As a result, Goddess Subhadra is shown with Lord Jagannath on her right side and Balabhadra on her left, which is contrary to tradition,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty told reporters.
He said the erroneous image has reportedly been printed on table and wall calendars, and in diaries released by the temple administration.
He alleged that the SJTA did not consult intellectuals before using the old painting in the calendar.
“Such mistakes reflect a lack of sensitivity towards Shree Jagannath culture and Odia Asmita,” the BJD leader alleged.
The opposition party also claimed that the chariots were shown in the wrong order in the calendar picture.
“As per established norms, the correct order during Rath Yatra is Lord Balabhadra first, Goddess Subhadra in the middle and Lord Jagannath last. These inaccuracies in a publication issued by the SJTA have caused strong resentment in cultural and intellectual circles,” the BJD said.
The Congress also criticised the SJTA and the BJP government in the state over the issue.
“It is deeply disturbing that the newly released Puri Srimandir calendar contains grave inaccuracies in the depiction of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and even the sacred order of the Rath Yatra,” Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das said in a X post.
Such negligence “hurts Odia Asmita (proud) and our centuries-old cultural and spiritual identity”.
PTI
