214ft-high Lord Jagannath Temple flag changed amid heavy rain from Cyclone Arnab - Watch

Cyclone Arnab barreled down on Odisha and Andhra Pradesh this week, bringing heavy rains and damaging winds. Amid the severe storm, the flag on top of the Jagannath Temple in Puri got entangled and knotted. A video shows three temple servitors on top of the temple at a height of 214 feet as heavy rain slams the place. They ascended the temple to untie the knot and change the flag, which some people also started calling "zero knot". Wind speeds reached a maximum sustained speed of 125-135 kmph, with gusts topping 150 kmph.

The three temple workers can be seen circumambulating the spire, holding three flames that did not extinguish even in the heavy rain. The flag on top of Jagannath Temple is changed every day, and the "sevayukts" fulfilled the task even amid the storm. The video shows them on top at nighttime with rain lashing the temple.

The temple also confirmed that servitors carried out all daily core rituals and offerings during the storm, including changing the flag on the 214-foot spire. Heavy waterlogging was reported around the temple, but none of the services was suspended.

Devotees call “zero knot” a miracle

Meanwhile, netizens are calling the "zero knot" a sign of protection for Odisha amid the cyclonic storm. The flag, known as the Patitapabana Bana, typically flies in the opposite direction of the wind. But amid the storm, it got tangled around the top, which some people called a miracle and a sign that the Lord was protecting Odisha.

Cyclone Arnab made landfall near the Andhra Pradesh coast early on Wednesday (October 28). Five people were killed in Vizag, Anakapalle, Kakinada, Konaseema and West Godavari.

Arnab made landfall as a "very severe" cyclonic storm, the third-highest category on the Indian Meteorological Department's scale. It has now weakened into a tropical depression with sustained wind speeds of around 46 km/hr, with gusts up to 53 km/hr.