Odisha governor’s proposal to allow foreigners into Puri temple draws flak

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal’s suggestion that foreigners should be allowed to enter Puri’s famed Jagannath temple has not gone down well with traditionalists and political leaders alike. They have criticised the proposal and rejected it outright.

Former minister Bijay Mohapatra of the BJP said centuries-old traditions of the temple should not be tinkered with. “Everyone, including non-Hindus, can have a darshan of the sibling deities — Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath — when they step out of the temple on the occasion of Ratha Jatra every year. There should not be a dispute over such matters,” he said.

Several servitors in Puri echoed Mohapatra. Senior Congress MLA Suresh Routray, too, said “interferences in religious practices should be avoided.”

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Lal, while addressing a function at Utkal University on Thursday, said, “If the foreigners are meeting the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, servitors, and the Shankaracharya, there is no point in depriving them of Lord Jagannath’s darshan inside the temple. It is a suggestion.”

The 12th-century shrine, one of the four dhams, bars the entry of non-Hindus. A signboard at the temple gate states, “Only Hindus are allowed.”

“Only a suggestion, not order”

A Puri-based socio-cultural organisation, Shree Jagannath Sena, staged a protest against the governor’s remark in the temple town on Saturday. “We have a lot of respect for the governor. But his proposal is unacceptable. He should refrain from commenting on sensitive issues linked to faith and religion,” Sena convener Priyadarshan Pattnaik said.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), a government body that oversees the upkeep and maintenance of the temple and its operations, is yet to issue a statement on the matter.

The governor, who left for Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh earlier on Sunday, could not be reached for his reaction. A Raj Bhavan spokesperson, on being approached, said the governor had “just made a suggestion, and nothing beyond that. He did not give any order.”

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Former Odisha minister Damodar Rout came out in support of Lal, saying there should be no restriction on the darshan of deities to anyone, as Lord Jagannath is the “master of the universe.”

“Lord Jagannath is regarded as the origin of all religions. Guru Nanak came here for a darshan of the deity. Similarly, Sri Chaitanya visited Puri in 1508 and propagated Vaishnavism on his return,” he argued.

(With agency inputs)