Puri: In a rare and shocking incident, seven servitors were injured and hospitalised when the idol of Lord Balabhadra fell on them wen the deity was being taken on ceremonial pahandi from his Taladhwaja chariot to the Adapa Mandap of Gundicha temple on Tuesday.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred during the pahandi of Balabhadra at about 7 PM when the servitors unfashioned the ropes and were escorting the deity to the Charamala (slanting ladders fixed to the chariots to facilitate pahandi).
Suddenly, the ropes at the back, used to control the movement of the deity on the ladder, loosened, causing the deity Balabhadra to fall on the servitors working at the front.
After much effort, the deity was taken back to the normal position, and the pahandi resumed. Lord Balabhadra was then taken to the Gundicha temple and placed on the Ratnasimhasan.
The volunteers found that seven daitas had sustained injuries. They were rushed to the district headquarters hospital. The doctors are examining them. Several of the injured have fractures in their legs. X-ray and ultrasound tests are being conducted. The injuries are not fatal, a doctor on duty said.
The devotees were in shock as they saw the mishap live on TV channels.
After a two-day stay on the chariots near the Gundicha temple, the priests performed daily rituals such as Mangal Arati, Mailum, Tadap Lagi, Abakash, Surya Puja, and Rosa Homa. Then dry bhog was offered to the deities on their respective chariots, parked before the Gundicha temple.
The servitors dressed the deities in new clothes. At about 6:45 PM, the Goti Pahandi began, and first Sudarshan was escorted into the sanctum sanctorum of the Gundicha temple.
In the system of Goti Pahandi, the servitors escort one deity at a time and after placing one on the Ratnasimhasan, they return to take another deity.
The presiding deities of Sri Jagannath temple, who are on a nine-day sojourn to Gundicha temple from their main temple on Sunday, will be taken to the Ratnasimhasan of Gundicha temple in pahandi by midnight.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has expressed sorrow over the mishap.
The Chief Minister prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured servitors and asked Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan and Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida to rush to Puri and take necessary steps.
Both Harichandan and Parida later arrived in Puri at the direction of the Chief Minister and went to the Gundicha temple to oversee the rituals. They also visited the hospital and met the injured servitors.
The Deputy Chief Minister said most of the servitors received minor injuries and were discharged from the hospital after treatment.
