Rats create trouble in temple's 'sanctum sanctorum'
Puri. Traditional pest control measures will be adopted to deal with the growing infestation of rats and cockroaches in the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century Jagannath temple in Puri. Since there is a clear ban on killing any animal or insect inside the temple, it has been decided to trap the rats in a trap or cage and catch them alive and release them outside. An officer gave this information. Chief Administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Arvind Padhi chaired a meeting held on this issue recently. He said that the problem of rats in the ancient temple is not new.
This problem had become serious during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, when the number of devotees was less. Traditional pest control measures were adopted in 2023… but now their numbers have increased again and similar measures will be taken again. Puri District Magistrate and SJTA Deputy Chief Administrator Divya Jyoti Parida said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has also been consulted on the issue. He told that to attract and catch cockroaches, earthen pots containing jaggery and other sticky substances have been kept in the sanctum sanctorum.
The entry points for rats and cockroaches in the sanctum sanctorum are also being closed. Officials said rats eat flowers offered to the deities and gnaw on their precious clothes. Poisonous spray cannot be used to drive away rats as it is likely to cause rats and cockroaches to die inside the temple, which is against temple rules.
Jagannath culture researcher Bhaskar Mishra said rats cause trouble in the 'Garbha Griha', but servants are not allowed to kill or poison animals inside the temple. The Record of Rights (ROR) of the temple has a provision to deal with rats, bats and monkeys in the temple premises. He said that according to the rules of the temple, no living creature can be killed.
He said some animals have been living in the Jagannath temple complex for generations as they get enough of the leftover 'mahaprasad'. Mishra said that the authority records of the temple clearly mention that some special servants are given the responsibility of catching rats alive and releasing them outside the temple premises.