Pilgrims Throng Puri for Lord's Nabajouban Darshan

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Blissful Devotees in Puri Dham
Photos: Sampradaya Sun

Jun 19, 2012 — JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — After remaining out of bounds for a fortnight, the reigning Deities of Jagannath Temple appeared in ‘youthful avatar' before pilgrims on the occasion of Nabajouban (navajauvana darshan on Tuesday.

Unfazed by drizzles, pilgrims in droves formed a serpentine queue to have glimpse of the Deities, who were taken ill after having a grand shower on Debasnan Purnima on June 4th. The Deities had since been undergoing treatment inside a solitary room in the shrine, and were off limits to devotees.

Lord Jagannath's Rath Cart Wheels

Security was tightened to tackle the unbridled crowd and regulate the traffic. "We allowed the devotees in queues to the temple. Thorough checking and frisking was made at the shrine entrance points," Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo said.

Unlike previous years, the temple rituals went on smoothly this time and the darshan started in the right time, temple spokesperson said.

The temple town is gearing up for the nine-day Rath Yatra, which will kick off from Thursday. "Arrangements have been made to the tee. Carpenters are giving finishing touches to the construction work of chariots," Puri district collector Aravind Agarwal said.

It will be a testing time for the district administration to prevent pilgrims from climbing atop the unsafe rooftops on both sides of Grand Road where the three iconic chariots will roll on Rath Yatra day. The district administration has identified 12 unsafe buildings, mostly mutts near the temple, and formed squads to stop people from advancing towards the unsafe structures.

"We have sought the cooperation of police to prevent people from entering the unsafe buildings. We also appeal to the people not to jeopardize their lives," temple's Chief Administrator and Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) Arvind Padhee said.

Jagannath Rath
[ Click for larger version }

Throwing a recent Orissa High Court order to winds, some priests of the Jagannath Temple were seen constructing temporary shades on the unsafe rooftops to help VVIPs watch the chariot pulling ceremony.

The Radha Ballav mutt facing the 12th century shrine is a case in point. Like the previous year, the Puri district administration has declared the dilapidated mutt as unsafe this year. The administration said it would clamp prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC on Thursday to prevent entry of pilgrims into the building. However, some priests were found to be busy installing a makeshift tent to facilitate the seating arrangement for pilgrims. The organizers mint money by providing seats to elite pilgrims.

Each seat costs around Rs 500. "Some pilgrims do not mind paying Rs 5,000 to get the best view point of the chariot pulling," a source said.