Puri (Odisha): The glory of the Lord Sri Jagannath is acclaimed throughout the universe. The centuries-old religious bond between the royal family of Nepal and the Jagannath temple of Puri as Adi Shankaracharya established the rites and rituals in both Jagannath temple of Puri and Pashupatinath temple in Nepal.
Nepal has an age-old relationship with Sri Jagannath and the king of Nepal has a unique right to perform the ritual inside the temple.
As per the tradition, the kings of Nepal enjoy exclusive rights and special privileges of performing arati of Lord Jagannath atop the throne. Even the Gajapati King of Puri, who is considered as the first servant of Lord Jagannath, does not go atop the throne to worship the Holy Trinity.
Nepal comes under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Puri Shankaracharya’s Govardhan Math. The deep spiritual ties between Odisha and Nepal are held in great reverence by the king. Adi Shankaracharya had established the rituals and practices in both the Jagannath and Pashupatinath temples.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Ramcharan Dash, Servitor, said," King of Nepal had supplied one lakh “Salagrams” (small stone pieces kept in the Jewel throne of Lord Jagannath which are worshipped as symbols of Lord “Vishnu”) at the time of construction of the gem throne. The king of Nepal has the special privilege of performing ‘aarti’ of Shree Jagannath atop the ‘Ratna Singhasan’ (Podium)."
"Except the King of Nepal no other persons has the right to perform puja atop the ‘Ratna Singhasan’. Always he makes offerings before the Lord in his own hands. Even the Gajapati King of Puri, who is considered as the first servant of Lord Jagannath, does not go atop the throne to worship the Holy Trinity," he said.
Recently, in the year 2018, King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev entered the 12th-century shrine in the seaside pilgrim town along with Gajapati King of Puri Dibyasingha Deb through the south gate after the latter went in and performed the puja before the Trinity at the Jagannath temple.
He also presented three Shalgram Shila (a fossilised shell revered as a symbol of the Lord Vishnu), gold coins, Rs 50,000 in cash, and three wrapped bags to the temple.
In the present scenario, the relation between India and Nepal has turned sour over boundary issues. Unless the relationship between the two countries is restored, there are apprehensions that the precious “Kasturi” required for performing various rituals of Lord Jagannath might not be available in the coming days.
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