Puri, July 6: The sacred tradition of the Daita community continued at the Jagannath Temple with the induction of the youngest Daitapati servitor, ‘Shri Ansh Das Mahapatra’, who formally began his service during the ongoing Anasara rituals of Lord Jagannath.
Following the ceremonial Snana Yatra, the deities are believed to have fallen ill and are presently staying in the Anasara Ghara. During this period, the Daitapati servitors perform a series of highly confidential rituals for the recovery of the sibling deities.
Shri Ansh, son of Shibani Prasad Das Mahapatra and nephew of senior Daitapati Bhavani Prasad Das Mahapatra of Dolamandap Sahi, was initiated into the sacred service after offering ‘Pauna Bhoga’ to the deities on the Anasara Pindi and partaking in ‘Chakata Bhoga’. With this ritual, he was formally recognised as the youngest Daitapati servitor.
Dressed in the traditional Daitapati attire and wearing the ceremonial crown, the infant servitor entered the Jagannath Temple and proceeded to the Anasara Pindi through the restricted Anasara enclosure. There, he offered ‘Pauna Bhoga’ to the deities and was formally inducted into the hereditary service.
As per the age-old tradition of the Daita community, a child becomes eligible to be counted as a Daitapati and participate in the Lord's Anasara rituals after attaining the age of six months and twenty-one days. From the day following ‘Phuluri Tela Lagi’, observed on the fifth day of Anasara, such young Daitapati children begin participating in the confidential rituals performed inside the Anasara Ghara.
Although Shri Ansh is too young to understand the intricate temple rituals and traditions, his uncle Bhavani Prasad Das Mahapatra expressed confidence that he would uphold the family's centuries-old legacy and serve Lord Jagannath with devotion and dedication in the years to come.
