PURI (ODISHA): Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Friday assured the Jagannath Temple Administration (JTA), Puri, to take up the issue of shortage of Kasturi, an essential commodity used in rituals of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, — with the Nepal government.
Kasturi is the musk collected from the male deer’s navel. Addressing mediapersons during her visit to the Puri temple, Ms Bhandari said she would take measures for resolving the problem of Kasturi shortage faced by temple authorities.
“I am happy after taking darshan of Lord Jagannath. President Pranab Mukherjee had invited me to India and I am grateful for the arrangements made by the Centre and state governments and the respect I have received from the public. I would take up the Kasturi shortage issue with the Nepal government at the earliest,” she stated.
The Nepal President said that Nepal had an age-old relationship with the temple.
“Both India and Nepal have been sharing a cultural relations since long. I hope both the countries continue to maintain this friendly relation in days to come,” she added.
In the 12th century Jagannath Temple used to receive Kasturi, a rare and precious item, from Nepal.
