Youth Servitor of Sakhigopal Temple, Bishwanath Mekap (Mitu), Passes Away
Bishwanath Mekap (Mitu), a young servitor of the Sakhigopal Temple, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar when he breathed his last. Mitu, 39 years old and a servitor from the Bhandar Mekap group, had been experiencing abdominal pain and was first admitted to the Sakhigopal hospital on Sunday night. Later, he was shifted to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital. Due to his deteriorating condition, he was taken to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar for better treatment, where he passed away during treatment.
As Mitu was a popular young servitor, news of his demise cast a shadow of grief among the servitor community and the entire Sakhigopal region. Mitu was the only son of his parents and is survived by his wife and two daughters – one aged five and the other just one year old.
After his body was brought to Sebak Sahi, fellow young servitors paid their last respects and offered tribute. As per tradition, fire for the cremation was taken from the temple’s sacred kitchen (Rosha Chula), and his last rites were performed at Swargadwar in Puri.
According to sources, after the establishment of Odisha University in Sakhigopal, the traditional cremation ground used by the servitors was demolished about a year ago. Although promises were made to build a new cremation ground, no construction has taken place yet. As a result, deceased servitors cannot be cremated in their own grounds, and the bodies are being taken to Puri Swargadwar instead. This has led to growing dissatisfaction among the servitors.
