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Jagannath's
biggest donation from a Swiss
by Sarada Lahangir
Puri: While many of the Hindu temples in India close their doors to non-Hindus, the administrators of the famous Jagannath temple in Puri have no qualm in accepting donations from non-Hindus. In one of the most orthodox ancient Lord Jagannath temple, there are sections among Hindus who are not allowed to worship or even enter the precincts of the temple. Recently, a 45-year-old Swiss lady, a devotee of Lord Jagannath, has donated a whopping Rs. 1.78 crores to the world famous Jagannath temple. The donation is the highest ever received by the temple. Elizabeth Ziggler, a practising lawyerm has already deposited the money and made certain wishes like feeding and clothing of 101 Brahmins on "Ekadashi",(the eleventh day of a fortnight belonging to a lunar month), to be fulfilled. "A foreign devotee, Elizabeth from Geneva in Switzerland, has recently donated more than four lakh US dollars to Shri Jagannath temple trust.
About 10 years back, she had visited Shri Jagannath temple and from 2000 onwards, she has donated around 45 thousand US dollars which is around 20 lakh rupees", said Suresh Mohapatra, Chief Administrator, Jagannath temple. "The Swiss lady has also requested that the flag on the top of the temple should be hoisted as per her wish on December 11 every year and 101 Brahmins be given food and clothing on Ekadashi day. There are about four to five wishes, so accordingly, we are fulfilling the wishes and we have accepted the donation of four lakh US dollars that is around 1 crore 78 lakh rupees which has been credited to our account in State Bank of India(SBI)", added Mohapatra. Priests of the temple say they are happy with the donation. "It is good, Lord Jagannath is the lord of the World and not just Indians", said Vinayak Guru, a priest in the temple. Interestingly, the 12th century shrine, Lord Jagannath temple, deters a non-Hindu from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
The
shrine's total collection from donations during 2005-06 was Rs 2.81 crore
while the estimate for 2006-07 was Rs 2.96 crore. According to some temple
officials, it is believed that Ziggler donated the money by collecting
funds from friends and other philanthropists. At Lord Jagannath temple,
the entry of any non-Hindu is strictly prohibited. But many people of
other religious beliefs pay their respects standing outside the main gates
of the revered temple. It is only when the deities are brought out in
open during chariot festival (Jagannath Yatra) that people of other faiths
get an opportunity to take a glimpse of the Lord. Puri is an ancient shrine,
enshrining Krishna - Jagannath in the form of a wooden image. Also enshrined
are wooden images of Balabhadra (Balarama) and Subhadra brother and sister
of Krishna, respectively. Interestingly, the Rig Veda refers to Purushottama
in the form of a wooden image, prepared from a log of wood floating on
the ocean. Puri is also referred to in the Bhrama purana.
-May 19, 2006
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