Puri: Authorities of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri have lodged a formal police complaint against a social media account for disseminating AI-generated images and videos of Lord Jagannath that have sparked widespread outrage among devotees across Odisha and beyond.
“It has come to our notice that some unacceptable AI-generated photos and videos of Lord Jagannath have been posted on social media. These objectionable materials are being circulated by a person using the handle ‘vishvrajcreation’,” the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said in a statement.
Special Security Officer of the temple administration filed the complaint against the account on Monday at the Singhadwar police station, highlighting that the content has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of devotees and caused significant resentment.
Temple officials noted that while previous incidents involved unauthorised photography and circulation of real images from inside the shrine premises, this marks the first instance where artificial intelligence has been misused to create content that dishonours the deity.
One particularly contentious video depicts milk being poured over Lord Jagannath using a crane in front of the temple, a scene which Jagannath culture experts described as entirely fabricated and having no basis in the temple’s long standing traditions.
Notably, the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), the apex body governing the 12th-century shrine, recently decided to amend the existing legal provisions, making such activities illegal and punishable offences.
