Sambalpur: In a significant step, the Samaleswari Temple management has announced a complete ban on photo sessions and shooting of reels and pre-wedding videos at the shrine in Odisha’s Sambalpur.
Sources said that the Sambalpur Samaleswari Trust Board decided to ban shooting of reels and pre-wedding videos in order to preserve the sanctity of the 16th-century shrine.
President of Samaleswari Temple Trust Board, Sanjay Babu told reporters that the move aims at preserving the sanctity of the shrine. It was noticed that obscene activities were taking place in the name of shooting reels and pre-wedding videos on the shrine premises.
The temple trust board emphasised the moral responsibility of all devotees to uphold the temple’s holiness.
It may be noted that the temple management had imposed a complete ban on the consumption of paan and gutkha within its premises in April, this year. Consumption of paan, gutkha, cigarettes or any tobacco-related products have been strictly prohibited inside the temple premises. The person violating the order will be slapped with a fine of 500.
Stating that the temple has been redeveloped recently, Babu said it is necessary to maintain the sanctity of the premises since it is our responsibly to keep its glory intact as we are now receiving tourists from different parts of the country and the world.
Security guards have been tasked with monitoring violators, with CCTV surveillance in place from the control room.