Jajpur: The long-standing dispute over the management of the temple at Chhatia Bata in this district came to an end with the Court of the Endowment Commissioner handing over the temple affairs to the district administration, a report said.
Endowment Commissioner BP Dutta, concluding the hearing on a case over possession of Chhatia Bata shrine, directed the district collector to appoint a sub-collector rank officer for the management of the temple affairs September 15.
The officer to be appointed should be from Hindu religion, the endowment commissioner observed while delivering the order. The officer will have to take over the charge from the actual trustee Pradyumna Kumar Das within five days from the date of issue of the order.
As a result, the dispute over possession of the temple, which is known as the second Srikhetra in the state, came to an end after a seven-year-long battle. The matter came up before the endowment commissioner after one Jagannath Dash filed a petition alleging monopoly in the management of temple affairs and financial irregularities.
The court admitted the petition and passed the order after a prolonged hearing on the case. The court, while delivering the order also asked the superintendent of police to deploy police force for peaceful transfer of power to the district administration.
Chhatia is the seat of saint Mahapurush Hadidas where he was believed to have attained enlightenment. He was later buried at the same place. The place is revered by the Hindus as a sacred place as Hadidas turned into a great soothsayer after receiving enlightenment.
Legend has it that he foresaw the future and narrated it before a disciple Niladri Nanda who would then write it on palm leaf manuscripts. A large temple came up at Chhatia Bata after the death of Hadidas where the idol of Balabhadra was installed at the ‘samaadhi’ of the saint. The other idols in the temple are that of Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra and a host of other deities. Rath Yatra is annually held in this temple and scores of devotees regularly visit this temple.
Sub-collector Narayan Chandra Dhal said the district administration will take steps for implementation of the order which he claimed to have received Wednesday. PNN