Puri Car Festival 2013 revisited
Introduction:
The recently concluded famous car festival of Lord Jagannath of Puri has experienced some chaotic mismanagement which could have been better avoided than allow to occur in the face of lakhs of devotees rushing into the tiny religious town of Puri to view three huge chariots pompously carrying the three Lords of Lord Jagannath, Ballabhadra and Subhadra with chants of “Jai Jagannath” all around. This festival is a regular annual recurrence and every year the same problems with timid solutions recur without the police and the administration doing anything substantial and curative to ward off indiscipline and indecision taking over health management and discipline.
The sad thing about this is that either a section of servitors is victimized or it holds the management into ransom. The recently concluded Puri Car Festival of 2013 July is a vivid and shocking story of such mismanagement and indiscipline, putting into decadence the old and the established system of peaceful observance of religious rites of at least a decade past.
What is the Car Festival of Lord Jagannath of Puri:
The Car Festival of Lord Jagannath of Puri is a nine-day long composite program involving a journey from the temple of Lord Jagannath to Gundicha temple by the three deities of Lord Jagannath, Ballabhadra and Subhadra, carried in colossal man-driven chariots. A particular sect of servitors (sevayat) performed the major duties of Lords whom they think as their brothers and sisters.
A legend says that during the days of yore Lord Jagannath was worshipped a Contilo forest in Nayagarh district of Orissa by tribal people in the name of “Nila Madhab”. But after the then king of Puri, erected the temple of Lord Jagannath of Puri and the Gundicha temple, he was perturbed with the idea re installing Lord “Nila Madhab” as Lord Jagannath inside in view of refusal of tribal of Contilo forest to part with their Lord for being worshipped as Lord Jagannath of Puri.
From Nila Madhab to Lord Jagannath:
Then the king thought upon a plan of sending “Pati Mahapatra”, a Brahmin advisor of his ministry, to Contilo forest in disguise who own over the daughter of the tribal leader, “Bishabasu” by name to get his daughter “Lalita” married to Him. One dark night “Pati Mahapatra” betrayed the confidence of the tribal leader and with the help of “Lalita” he stole Lord. Thus Lord Jagannath came In Puri. It is said that the “Daita” servitors (sevayat) of Lord Jagannath were born of the wedlock between “Pati Mahapatra” the Brahmin and “Lalita” the tribal girl and they are traditionally regarded as relatives of the Lord.
They have been granted to their close affinity with the Lords for a month only in a full year during which the famous Puri Car Festival is held.
Other servitors served the Lords and worshipped Them throughout the year including the month when the “daitas” are present. They don’t claim to be the relatives of the Lord but their “Pujharis” (Priest). This is the arrangements with which the day to day affairs of the Lords is performed and nobody is guided to do anything as every sevayat is aware of his own duty and responsibility. 11 months of a full year runs peacefully and smoothly in the service of lords, except one month during which Car Festival falls.
Who is responsible for the Car Festival mess?
Now the pertinent question is are “daitas” responsible for a month’s indiscipline or is the management incapable of managing the temple affairs for 30 days. Truly speaking, the temple administration does not manage the temple for 11 months as it is a self running religious institution where every sevayat knows he has to perform and when and how best the daily duties (seva) of the Lords will be completed with their self-devotion and ancestral rite. But the temple administration along with the state machinery geared off of the action during the ten days of the Car Festival and, perhaps, mismanaging the whole situations and surroundings which can be better avoided with better planning and coordination.
The drainage system of Puri town is very savvy and disturbing. Every morning we find, heavy overflow of drain water flooding the roads and making life miserable with mud, polythene and waste products spreading everywhere, emanating very unpleasant odor, very much detrimental to health. As we have seen during the past years. No corrective steps or remedial measures have been taken, except cleansing of drains and doing some patchworks during Car festival days. Now, Puri, is the hell of a town due to this failed drainage system and unresponsive administration.
To compound the problem of failed drainage system, huge number of small and medium sized cabins appear on the “Bada danda” (The Grand Road), shattering the traffic and the sanitation system. Though use of polythene and poly-bags has been banned by the State Government, we see such banned products in every shop which the consumers throw into the drains after use affecting the drainage system. This appears to be a non-curable disease here. Though the state government is fighting a legal battle for demolitions of illegal construction and eviction of street vendor, political will seem to be lacking.
Conclusion:
Understanding was reached between the temple management and the “daitas” which restricted the entry of people other than the sevayat’s (servitors) into the chariots of Lords before the “pahandi” (Carrying) of the Lords was also ridiculed and the performance was delayed for an hour or so. This was an avoidable delay and only human factor is responsible for this sorry state. But who is he/ who are they?
Only a non-partisan and independent enquiry can establish the truth and a strong political will power can punish the culprit. It is surprising that despite very tough police cordons manner by thousands of policemen, some influential people could come inside the cordon and ride on the chariots, creating a complex and chaotic situation. Even if they pierced into the cordon, how and why were they allowed on the chariots and by whom is the million dollar question which needs to be parried simply because the car festival is over.
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