Jagannath Temple Is Not A Secular Place: Shankaracharya

Bhubaneswar: With resentment brewing among the servitor community over the Supreme Court’s proposal to allow non-Hindus into Jagannath Temple in Puri, Shankaracharya of Gobardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, made it clear that the 12^th century shrine is not a secular place.

“The rules for the visitors to the Samadhi of the Mahatma Gandhi are not applicable to the Jagannath Temple. Allowing people to enter the temple will have grave consequences,” the seer told the local media from Raipur on Sunday.

He further said that the Supreme Court had given some directions and proposals on the reforms in Jagannath Temple functioning, which are being examined by our lawyers. “The Jagannath Temple Managing committee will have a meeting with me in this connection after Rath Yatra” he added.

Stating that the apex court has said that the management of the temple would be made according to the provisions of the Sanatan Dharma, he said Justice Adarsh Goel, who was a formerJudge of the Orissa High Court, had informed the apex court that the decision of the Shankaracharya was binding and the court cannot overrule it.

Maintaining that the Jagannath Temple is an institution of education, religion and culture, he said according to Sanatan Dharma, rituals are mandatory for the temples.