Puri: Devotees as well as locals are eagerly waiting for the Supreme Court’s hearing of a bunch of petitions seeking modification of the earlier order of the apex court that had stayed this year’s Rath Yatra in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
Many of them are quite hopeful that the Supreme Court will allow holding of the Rath Yatra without the congregation of people on the Grand Road June 23. Many ardent devotees of Lord Jagannath believe that certain miracle will happen during the Supreme Court’s hearing of the petitions Monday.
The SC stayed this year’s Rath Yatra due to the Covid-19 pandemic while hearing a petition June 18. Subsequently, the state government announced that it would obey the SC order with regards to the Car Festival in Puri.
However, some Srimandir servitors’ groups and other outfits and individuals filed petitions in the HC and sought modification to the June 18 order of the court with regard to the Rath Yatra.
The petitioners have highlighted various aspects of holding the Rath Yatra without the congregation of devotees on the Grand Road. They have pleaded that the annual mega festival can be organised with limited number of servitors, temple officials and security personnel.
Moreover, the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee and the Chhatisha Niyog, the apex body of Srimandir servitors, urged the state government to move the SC seeking modification to the June 18 order. Gajapati king Dibyasingha Deb who is also the chairman of Srimandir managing committee wrote to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the issue.
Earlier, Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati had pleaded that the tradition and culture of Srimandir must be preserved.
It is worth mentioning here that preparation for this year’s Rath Yatra was going on at full pace at the 12th century shrine. Maharana servitors of Srimandir have worked for extra hours to construct the three chariots at the Rath Yard.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in association with the Health department has conducted Covid-19 tests on Daitapati and other servitors to hold the mega festival amid the pandemic. “We had never thought that the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath would be cancelled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Car Festival can be organised with all restrictions laid down by the government in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. Crores of devotees are still hopeful that the Lord himself will do certain miracle and his chariot will roll on the Grand Road June 23,” said Rajib Patra, a local.
Some devotees are apprehensive that how the tradition and culture of Srimandir can be preserved if the Apex Court does not allow this year’s Rath Yatra. “The Shankaracharya and the Gajapati king are in favour of holding the festival without the congregation of devotees. Who will guide the shrine authorities to go for any alternate way to preserve the tradition if the SC does not give a favourable order on the festival,” said a source associated with Srimandir.
