Ban on climbing atop chariots: Sevayat’s daughter, girls mount chariots  

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Jul 17:

Despite a ban by the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on climbing atop of chariots by devotees or anyone other than sevayats (servitors) having a role in rituals atop the chariots, a young woman was seen on Taladhwaja-the chariot of Lord Balabhadra today during the Niladri Bije ritual of the Lords.

Sources said the young woman is the daughter of a sevayat. Television visuals showed the young woman and the sevayat having an altercation with district collector Arvind Agarwal over the incident.

Similarly, three girls were also seen atop the Nandighosha-the chariot of Lord Jagannath. The images were captured on television cameras.

Following the incident, certain rituals were held up for a while leading to delay in the pahandi of Lord Sudarshana.

Some working journalists were also allegedly manhandled by the sevayats in the presence of the police while they were trying to ascertain from the Nayak of Chhattisha Nijog who was at the Darpadalana-the chariot of Devi Subhadra what was leading to the delay in the pahandi. Tension followed the incident. The scribes have lodged a complaint with the police in this regard.

Rituals were resumed and the matter was resolved after Law Minister Arun Sahu intervened and held a discussion with the sevayats.

Earlier in the day, senior sevayat Damodar Mahasuara had openly challenged the curbs put by the SJTA on members of servitor families from climbing atop chariots.

In an appeal to his servitor brethren, Mahasuara asked them not to yield to intimidation and forego their rights.

Mahasuara had pasted an appeal on the Sri Mandir wall which read: “I request all members of Chhattisha Nijog not to yield to anyone’s intimidation and forego our rights. On Niladri Bije day we with women and children from our families will climb the chariots through the chara (ramp attached to the chariots for climbing) and have darshan of the Mahaprabhu. This is traditional right of sevayats. I Damodar Mahasuara as a fellow brother of yours am prepared to extend all support and help to anyone of you whoever is interested in climbing the chara of the chariots to have the darshan of the Lord.  Anyone needing my support and cooperation for the same can meet me at the branch II office of the Pratihari Nijog under the banyan tree.”

“I have appealed to my innocent Chhattisha Nijog brethren who are either sleeping or have been intimidated by somebody that it is our right to have darshan of the Lord on the chara of the chariot, if anyone is interested in climbing the chara of the chariots to have darshan of the Lord I will help them. I will see who is going to stop me. Let them take whatever legal action they want to take. Which law or sashtra (scriptures) debars a mother from visiting her child? Since our rights are being curbed it struck me to appeal to my sleeping brethren of Chhattisha Nijog to wake up,” said Mahasuara to reporters commenting on his appeal.

Mahasuara’s views were also echoed by another sevayat.

“Ours is gostigata seva (community service) which is a tradition. Children of our families have darshan of the Lord on the chara of the chariot. The practice has been continuing for generations. Banning that is not appropriate. We all should respect the law but the banning of a practice that has been followed for generations is not appropriate,” said a senior sevayat.