A rodent situation has led to an unlikely inconvenience to the deity at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri city.
A ret-repellent device put in the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine invited complaints from devotees that the constant sound from the machine disturbs the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra in their sleep.
The device that releases an ultrasonic humming is meant to keep away rodents and pests. It was installed in the 12th-century shrine after small rat burrows were spotted on the floor of the temple’s premises and posed a threat to the interiors of the sanctum sanctorum including the deities’ attire, media reports said.
“We tried to see the gadget’s utility by installing it in the sanctum sanctorum. During the product’s demonstration a few days ago, we heard a humming sound emanating from the machine. According to the operator, the humming sound’s purpose is to scare away rodents. But servitors opined that the sound would disturb the sleep of the deities at night. We have decided not to use the machine,” the temple’s administrator (rituals) Jitendra Sahu was quoted by The Times of India as saying.
Owing to the complaints, the shrine authorities decided to do away with the device and use traditional methods to trap the rats. Sahu also mentioned that they are using these methods as they cannot poison to kill rats inside the temple.
The Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s coastal city attracts thousands of devotees every day.