Puri: Deep religious sentiments are attached with the world famous 12^th century shrine in Odisha’s Puri. Departure from usual often results in discontentment among fervents.

Today the Patitapabana bana’, the holy flag fixed atop Nilachakra of Puri Jagannath Temple, snapping off is viewed as an inauspicious event.

A flag measuring around 14 feet was pulled away by an eagle this morning creating flutter among the devotees. “I saw an eagle snatching it away. I am apprehensive about the incident. It might spell some disaster. May Lord Jagannath save us,” a devotee expressed.

Some believed it to be ominous ahead of the opening of the Ratna Bhandar on April 4.

The rituals of the presiding deities continued as per schedule. Usually, the rituals are stopped leading to delay in conduct of the same. However, the rituals today were unaffected as other flags were intact atop the temple.

As per sources, Chunara servitors replaced another flag in place of the missing one.

Worth mentioning, a team of ten people, including two experts of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), will enter the Ratna Bhandar (storehouse of ornaments) of the temple to inspect its structural stability, as per directives of the Orissa High Court.