Puri, Jan 19: After the dissatisfaction of devotees regarding the rice and betel nuts gathered via Arpan Raths remaining unused, Padmanabha Mahasuar, the President of Suar Mahasuar Nijog at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, has stated that the rice and betel nuts collected from devotees will be utilized in the service of Lord Jagannath.
The Nijog will collect all the offerings made by devotees through the Arpan Raths.
“As the rice collected from the devotees are not uniform, that can’t be used for Anna Prasad. However, it has been decided that Khichdi prasad will be prepared from the rice colected and will be distributed among the devotees. Apart from that, some portions of rice will be used for making pitha and drawing jhoti. Similarly, the Hadap Nayak servitors will receive the betel nuts and use those for preparing Paan for the deities”, he added.
Worth mentioning, a large number of devotees who had thronged Puri to witness the inauguration ceremony of Srimandir Heritage Project expressed their unhappiness that the rice and betel nuts collected from the devotees did not reach the Srimandir. The devotees also alleged that quintals of boiled rice and betel nut have been lying unused in local temples and godowns at several places in the state.
