Puri: Expressing discontentment over the replies of the servitors in connection with their alleged indulgence in the Ghata Paribartan fiasco during the Nabakalebara rituals in 2015, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Monday served notices on five Daita servitors calling for their replies in relation to the fiasco within 15 days.
According to the notice, senior Daita servitors—Naba Kishore Das Mohapatra, Biswanath Das Mohapatra, Krushna Chandra Das Mohapatra, Kasinath Das Mohapatra and Jaykrushna Das Mohapatra were present during the Ghata Paribartan ritual, arguably the most secret ritual of the Nabakalebara festival.
Although the ritual was scheduled to be performed at midnight of June 15, 2015, it was performed during daytime June 16 due to the reported mismanagement by the servitors. “During the probe, the temple administration had found indulgence of a few servitors in the fiasco and subsequently show-cause notices had been served on them (vide letter no 12091 dated 14/11/18). However, the above servitors had failed to provide satisfactory replies on the Ghata Paribartan issue. Hence, the temple administration is serving another show-cause notice on them as per Section 21(A) of the Srimandir Act, 1954,” Srimandir chief administrator Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said.
The servitors are required to reply the temple administration within 15 days of receiving the communiqué, Mohapatra added.