Senior Servitor Suspended from Puri Jagannath Temple for Attending Digha Ritual

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has suspended senior servitor Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra for 30 days and barred him from entering the Puri Jagannath Temple, citing “indiscipline” after he participated in the consecration ceremony of the Jagannath Temple in Digha, West Bengal.

In an official statement released on Sunday, SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee confirmed that Dasmohapatra had been relieved of all temple responsibilities and prohibited from performing any rituals or services at the 12th-century shrine during the suspension period.

Dasmohapatra, who is also the secretary of the Daitapati Nijog — a powerful body of servitors entrusted with guarding the deities during the annual Rath Yatra — is alleged to have acted against the administrative protocols by attending the Digha temple event. The SJTA viewed this as a breach of conduct and a violation of temple discipline.

The order further directed Dasmohapatra not to exert any influence on fellow servitors or interfere with the temple’s routine rituals and services during his suspension.

The Daitapati Nijog has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the suspension, but the decision has sparked discussions among temple servitors and religious bodies about jurisdiction and protocol concerning religious ceremonies at other shrines.

The Puri Jagannath Temple is one of the most revered Hindu shrines and is governed by a strict code of conduct for servitors, overseen by the SJTA.