Bid to popularise lords ancient religious texts

BHUBANESWAR: To revive and popularise the ancient religious texts on Lord Jagannath, the Jagannath Temple Administration (JTA) is mulling to bring out fresh editions of “Purushottamakshetra Mahatmya” in multiple Indian languages and English. “Purushottamakshetra Mahatmya” is a significant part of the Utkala Khanda, a section of the ancient Hindu religious text “Skanda Purana.” It is in “Utkala Khanda,” which comprises 3,600 “slokas” that verses on Lord Jagannath are abundantly found. The JTA which has been attempting a unification among Jagannath temples across India through uniform rituals and customs is now planning to bring out fresh copies of “Purushottamakshetra Mahatmya.” According to Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb, it was Baba Chaitanya Charan Das who had started the book version of it and Mumbai-based Venkateswara Press had published the book which has gone out of print now. “We are working not only on how to revive the edition but also in multiple languages,” he said. Since the religious text is in Devanagri script, the attempt is to get Odia and English versions of the work while efforts will be made to diversify into Hindi as well as Bengali too. The whole attempt, according to the Puri King, who happens to be the Chairman of the Temple Management Committee, is aimed at having the original written source on Lord Jagannath in book form so that it could be accessible by temples easily for religious purposes. The JTA, as it is, is launching “Jagannath Paancharatra,” holy deliberations and discussions including recitals, “sankirtanns” exclusively on Lord Jagannath, in February when it holds the national conference on unification of the temples. It is also proposed to be made a fixture for temples across India. Skanda Purana happens to be a voluminous Hindu religious text devoted to Kartikeya, son of Divine couple Shiva and Parvati. The text has been divided into different sections and describes ancient religious sects and traditions. A part of it, Utkala Khanda, elucidates about Odisha in “Purushottamakhetra Mahatmya” where Lord Jagannath’s “lilas” come in.