$63 a/month for King of Puri

[Guest guest]

No princely salary for `king` of Puri

 

By Bhibuti Mishra in Bhubaneswar

 

 

The king of Puri is known as the mortal image of Lord Jagannath. But

the State government doesn`t seem to consider him worthy of respect.

 

The financial grant to Gajapati Maharaja of Puri by the State

Government has not been revised for about 200 years _ he receives Rs

1700 per month.

 

The Gajapati, who is also considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu

and part and parcel of the Jagannath tradition has never complained

about this.

 

The Gajapati king, traditionally, does not take up any profession.

 

Being the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, he also does not seek

employment under any one. He owns no landed properties as all those

had been offered to the Lord.

 

Yet none in governments down the years has looked into this.

 

It was in 1803 AD that the then East India Company under the

leadership of Col Harcourt defeated Gajapati Maharaja Mukunda Dev,

who was then the king of Khurda State, and kept him in a jail.

 

Orissa lost its independence. But the the Gajapati could not be kept

in custody for long as it disturbed the rituals of Lord Jagannath.

 

Finally, Mukunda Dev was brought to Puri and paid a monthly political

grant of Rs 1,700 by the Company, since the company had taken over

all the properties including the state.

 

The Gajapati Maharaja continues to get the same from the State

Government even today.

 

The other source of income of the Gajapati Maharaja is that from Sri

Jagannath Temple Administration which gives him Rs 1,000 per month

for being the chairman of the managing committee.

 

Government sources reveal that in 1995 there was some attempt at

revision of this grant but it was shelved for some reason.