Bhubaneswar: Following a public outcry, AliExpress, an online retail service based in China and owned by the Alibaba Group, on Thursday confirmed that it had removed doormats featuring the image of Lord Jagannath from its listing.
Odisha’s Congress MLA Sofia Firdous shared the update from the international e-commerce platform in response to her post in X in which she had termed it as a blasphemous act. “…..this was a grave insult to millions of devotees and a serious attack on cultural and religious sentiments. Immediate action must be taken to remove the listing and issue a public apology,” she wrote.
Update :
AliExpress has now removed the doormats.🙏 Thanks to everyone who raised their voice https://t.co/vviu6Fdv1d
— Sofia Firdous (@sofiafirdous1) July 31, 2025
However, several X users pointed out that though the doormats were removed, AliExpress had not issued an apology for it. “Good that they did. But without an apology!? Shows their intent,” an user wrote.
On Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida had also demanded an apology from AliExpress as the incident erupted into a major controversy in Odisha. “Mahaprabhu Jagannath is deeply connected to the soul and emotions of every Odia. I strongly condemn Chinese e-commerce platform @AliExpress_EN for selling doormats featuring Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s image. @AliExpress_EN must remove the listing immediately and apologise to devotees for this offensive act,” the Deputy CM posted on X.
BoycottAliExpress had also began to trend on X.
In his post on X, BJD leader Amar Patnaik condemned the e-commerce platform for selling doormats with the sacred image of Lord Jagannath. “This shameless profanity is an affront to the deepest sentiments of millions of devotees, trampling upon the revered iconography with utter disregard. It’s a desecration of the highest order, and those responsible must be held accountable. The fact that Lord Jagannath’s image is being used as a mere commodity is a stark reminder of the blatant disrespect towards Hinduism. Immediate action is imperative to rectify this egregious wrongdoing and restore dignity to the revered deity,” he wrote.
Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattanik had also appealed to devotees of Lord Jagannath across the globe to raise their voice against what he termed an ‘unacceptable act”. “The sacred image of Mahaprabhu Jagannath on a doormat sold by @AliExpress_EN is deeply offensive. Remove it, apologize, and ensure this never happens again,” he wrote on X.
The mats, advertised under the name ‘Lord Jagannath Mandala Art’ and as anti-slip and moisture-absorbent are priced at Rs 787.