Odisha: 3 children below the age of 1 year become daitapatis of Lord Jagannath in Puri

Puri: Three children below the age of one year have been dedicated to the services of Lord Jagannath in the famous Srimandir in Puri of Odisha. It is worth mentioning that, in the family of Daitapatis all the members are traditionally supposed to engage themselves in the service of Lord Jagannath.

These daitapatis or servitors are appointed by the SJTA and the Odisha Government to serve Lord Jagannath and to conduct all the secret rituals of the dieties when they are in the ‘Anasara ghara’.

Thus, the youngest member of the Daitapati families are introduced into the service of Lord Jagannath and his siblings. The new young daitapatis Baladeb Dasmohapatra and Ekanshu Dasmohapatra are below a year old but will offer daitapati service at the famous Jagannath Temple.

It is further worth mentioning that they will become eligible to receive a remuneration of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per annum, said reliable sources.

Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were in the ‘Anasara’ period after being bathed on snana purnima with as many as 108 pots of water.

One of the servitors said that the children automatically learn the rituals by observing their elder family member. Another daitapati added that the kids will observe the rituals and learn them by the time they grow up. He further clarified that all the rituals are secrets and passed on to the children by the elders.

On June 15, Lord Jagannath and his siblings have recovered from their fever. The Daitapati servitors visited the palace and informed the Puri King Gajapati Maharaj about the recovery of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra in the customary manner.

The deities had fallen ill following the holy bath on the day of Snana Purnima. However, with service of the Daitapati servitors Lord Jagannath and sibling deities have recovered. The daitapatis visited the Srinahar, the palace of Gajapati Maharaj in a procession and informed about the recovery to the King.