BHUBANESWAR: Following a Supreme Court order, the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri on Monday prohibited servitors from collecting dakshina or offerings from the devotees during the Rath Yatra, to be held on Saturday. The SJTA will install temporary offertory boxes (hundis) on the deities' chariots to enable devotees to donate directly to the temple administration.The apex court had on June 8 asked the temple administration to prevent 'exploitation and extortion' of devotees by a section of the servitors. The court had asked the temple body to prevent the priests from collecting dakshina from the pilgrims.Though the ban on the collection of dakshina applies to all servitors, specific instructions have been given to members of the Daitapati Nijog, a powerful association of priests which plays a vital role during Rath. "I held a meeting with members of the Daitapati Nijog. No servitor will collect dakshina from the devotees during the Rath Yatra," SJTA's chief administrator Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said.Temple sources said six hundis would also be kept inside the Gundicha Temple, where the deities will spend seven days during the Rath Yatra.

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