Dibyasingh Dev might look like your regular family man, no different from any other Indian citizen, but the constant stream of visitors seeking his blessings at his home in Puri hints at the truth. Dev is the King of Puri, the Gajapati Maharaj, integral to the Rath Yatra - this despite the fact that he tries to play this down. "What they worship is not me as a person, but the position of Gajapati Maharaj," says he modestly.

    However, his supporters regard Maharaj Singh - as the King is fondly called - next only to Lord Jagannath. Says a resident of Puri, Tripathi Yogi, "The king is first servant of Lord Jagannath and people believe that their devotion is incomplete without paying homage to the king."

   The tradition is centuries old. In Puranic times, the first Jagannath temple was set up by a king named Indraduman, and since then, every successive king has been regarded as the first servant of Lord Jagannath. The present king has served Lord Jagannath for the past 35 years especially in the form of Chhera Pahunda on the day of Rath Yatra.This year too, he will be there with his golden broom to sweep the chariot and clean the way for the lords to begin the yatra.

    "This action is only symbolic to convey that no work is menial when it is service to the Lord," says Dibyasingh Dev. This St Stephen's graduate and former lawyer may insists that his royal status comes only from his service to the Lord, but for the faithful in Puri, being the Gajapati is next only to Godliness.

      
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