Mukti Mandap for a‘restricted’ Rath
BHUBANESWAR: The Mukti Mandap, a body of Brahmin scholars and pundits in Puri Jagannath Temple, has advocated cancellation of the Rath Yatra against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Mukti Mandap also urged the government to explore feasibility of hosting the chariotpulling festival amid a set of strict restrictions and without the participation of devotees.
“We do not find any disregard to the Jagannath culture if the government suspends celebration of the Rath Yatra given the unprecedented crisis caused by the novel coronavirus. The Yatra could not be observed earlier due to attacks by Muslim rulers,” the Mukti Mandap’s working president Biswanath Mishra told mediapersons in Puri on Monday.
Reaction of the Mukti Mandap assumes significance as the revered body is regarded as a religious counsellor or adviser on matters related to the Jagannath Temple and other shrines in the state. Earlier, the Jagannath Temple administration had said it would consult Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanan da Saraswati and religious scholars of the Mukti Mandap on the fate of the Rath Yatra. The Mukti Mandap had offered its advice on several other matters of the Jagannath Temple in the past.
The Mukti Mandap said the decision of the state government and the advice of the Puri Shankaracharya should be binding on everyone. “We are still hopeful that the Rath Yatra will be held. If the Covid-19 situation does not improve in the near future, the government may consider holding the festival in a low-key manner with strict restrictions,” Mukti Mandap secretary Ajit Mishra said. “We propose to the government to explore if the Rath Yatra can be observed without the participation of devotees. Only some government officers and police personnel may be deployed for conduct of the Rath Yatra,” Mishra added. The Jagannath Temple administration said they would forward the Mukti Mandap’s proposals to the government for examination. The government had already said a final decision will be taken after the lockdown is lifted on May 3, the temple’s public relations officer, Laxmidhar Pujapanda, said.
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