Non-veg food banned at holy sites

Odisha Channel Bureau Jagatsinghpur, April 25: In a bid to maintain sanctity at the sites of holy Neem trees, Jagatsinghpur district administration has stopped the sale of non-vegetarian food in eateries and roadside restaurants in and around Kanakpur and Adhanga where the Daru (sacred logs) to carve out the idol of Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were found.“We made an appeal to eatery owners not to cook non vegetarian food items.Appeal was promptly taken note of by them.People of local village and adjoining villages have also spontaneously given up the non-vegetarian food till the rituals of Daru transportation come to an end.This speaks of the spiritual bond and affinity that people have developed towards Jagannath cult,” said Jagatsinghpur District Collector Satya Kumar Mallik.“Lord stayed with us over the years in the form of Neem tree.It’s a rare privilege that God has bestowed upon us.Identification of Daru is itself a matter of pride for people here.So people here have stopped taking non-vegetarian food on their own accord.It’s a mark of reverence to the God.All the residents of Kanakpur and Adhanga have taken to vegetarian food since yesterday.Abstinence for such food would continue till the holy tree is dismantled and logs are transported to Jagannath dham,” observed a devotee from Adhanga Nityananda Acharya.There is no need for the government to make appeal for skipping non-veg food to befit the occasion of pervading spiritual fervour.People here have utmost reverence towards Lord Jagannath.They know it would be sacrilegious to consume fish, meat, eggs at a time when Yagna is taking place to invoke God’s blessings, remarked Subal Behera, another resident who lives in close vicinity of the Maa Sarala temple.As a matter of fact we have stopped preparation of non-vegetarian meals since yesterday when identification of Daru was announced.Officials had of course told us to refrain from sale of non-vegetarian items, quipped a roadside eatery owner, Subhash Rout.