Several chulhas of Jagannath Temple Kitchen in Puri vandalised

Puri: In an unprecedented incident, unidentified miscreants have vandalised several chulhas (earthen stoves) inside the Rosaghara (kitchen) of Jaganath Temple in Puri.

The incident came to light on early Sunday morning. It is suspected the act was done on Saturday after the preparation of food for evening rituals.

As per reports, over 40 earthen stoves used for cooking ‘Mahaprasad’ of the lord has been broken. Reports said that the chulhas of ‘Pithagada’, ‘Kothabhoga’, ‘Satapuri’ and ‘Thaliada’ have been damaged.

The kitchen of the Jagannath Temple is known as the largest in the world. The mega kitchen is famous for its unique cooking method where earthen pots are stacked on top of each other.

Puri district administration has already started an inquiry of the incident. District Collector Samarth Verma also visited the temple to take stock of the situation.

Briefing about the incident, Verma said, “The availability of Mahaprasad at Ananda Bazaar will be affected till tomorrow.”