Puri: With clear instructions not to take the life of any animal or insect inside Puri’s Jagannath Temple, authorities of the 12th century shrine, facing the menace of rats and cockroaches inside the sanctum sanctorum, have decided to use traditional pest control methods, including traps, to catch them alive and release them outside, an official said.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, who presided over a meeting on the matter recently, said that the rodent menace is not new to the ancient temple.
“The problem became acute during the COVID-19 pandemic when the number of devotees was less. Traditional pest control methods were used in 2023… but the numbers have surged again, and similar measures will be taken again,” he said.
Puri Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida, who is also the deputy chief administrator of the SJTA, said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been consulted over the issue.
Earthen pots laced with jaggery and other sticky substances have been placed inside the sanctum sanctorum to attract and trap cockroaches, he said.
Apart from these measures, paths taken by cockroaches and rats to enter the sanctum sanctorum are being blocked.
Authorities said rats devour the flowers offered to the deities and gnaw at the valuable attires.
However, toxic sprays cannot be used as the rodents and cockroaches may die inside the temple, which is against the temple rules.
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Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in the Jagannath culture, said, “Though rodents create a nuisance inside the ‘Garbha Gruha’ (sanctum sanctorum), servitors are not permitted to kill animals or poison them inside the temple. There is provision in the temple records of rights (ROR) on how to deal with rodents, bats, and monkeys on the temple premises.”
One cannot take away the life of any living creature as stipulated by the temple rules, he said.
Some animals live on the Jagannath Temple premises for generations as they get an adequate quantity of the leftover ‘Mahaprasad’. The temple ROR clearly states that some specific servitors are given the responsibility to catch the rodents alive and release them outside, he added.
