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PURI, INDIA, May 22, 2004: A hole has been discovered in the sacred metal wheel on top of the Jagannath temple at Orissa’s coastal city of Puri, leading to angry demonstrations by priests against the administration on Wednesday. The hole, measuring about 5 sq. cm., was noticed by those who climb on top of the 12th century temple everyday to tie the deity’s flag. They reported it to the temple authorities and also informed state Revenue Minister Man Mohan Samal. The Jagannath (Lord of the universe) temple in eastern India is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The conical tower of the temple is 58 m high, and on which the flag and the wheel of the Deity are installed. The wheel is made of astadhatu, or an alloy of eight metals. It is called the neela chakra, or the blue wheel, and is 3.5 m high with a circumference of about 11 m. Everyday, a different flag is tied to a mast attached to the neela chakra. A lamp is lit on top of the temple near the wheel on the Hindu holy day of ekadasi. The wheel turns blue when it gets heated in the sun, say experts.



The temple authority also got the wheel inspected by a team and found the hole, president of Sree Jagannath Sevayat Parisad (the group of priests) Ipsita Pratihari told IANS. He alleged officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is in charge of the conservation and repair of the temple, had chiselled this part of the temple sometime back. A group of priests led by Pratihari Wednesday demonstrated in front of the office of the temple administration demanding action against the ASI officials. The irate priests also locked the room of the temple administration for about three hours. “The district administration has assured us they would investigate the matter and take action against the culprit within the next 48 hours (by Friday). If they fail to take action we will demonstrate again,” Pratihari added. But the ASI denied the allegation. “We are not aware of it,” said A.K. Patel, senior archaeologist at the ASI office here. “We have deputed a local official to visit the spot and send us a report.”



The temple city of Puri organizes an annual chariot procession of Jagannath temple’s three deities — Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra — in April-May every year that attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees.

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