Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government’s proposal for setting up beach shacks along Puri-Konark sea shore has once again drawn strong criticism from the Shankaracharya of Govardhan Mutt Swami Nischalananda Saraswati.
In his response to the proposal which included serving liquor to the tourists in beach shacks, the Shankaracharya said it would harm the spiritual sanctity of the Pilgrim Town and bring bad name to Jagannath culture. People from all over the world come to Puri as devotees, not tourists, to have darshan of Lord Jagannath and offer puja, he added.
“Jagannath Dham is the place for spiritual pursuit and soul-searching. Puri beach should be a place devoted to bhajan, kirtan and religious discourses. It should not serve as a destination for pleasure-seeking,” he said.
Condemning the proposal to serve liquor and beverages in beach shacks, the seer said he has been opposing in strongest terms against such services in holy places. Stating that all followers of Sanatan dharma should oppose such ideas, he appealed to the state government to roll back the proposal.
Earlier, the government had mooted the beach shack proposal as part of the Odisha Excise Policy 2021. The policy aimed at providing beach entertainment to the tourists along Puri and Konark shores like Goa to boost tourism revenue.
Meanwhile, members of around 50 organisations and groups staged protests at Singhadwara in front of Jagannath temple against the proposal on the day.
In 2021 also, the Shankaracharya had opposed the similar proposal of the government to open beach shacks. “I have always insisted that the three-kilometre stretch on the Puri beach should be a place of bhajan, kirtan and arati. This proposal (beach shacks) of the government for Puri is not acceptable,” he had said at the time.
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