Servitors To Keep Watch On Entry Of Non-Hindus At Jagannath Temple In Puri

Puri: Following a furore over entry of non-Hindu visitors to Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri recently, the temple administration has decided to deploy two servitors at Singhadwar (Lions Gate) to check the incoming devotees.

Speaking to media on Friday, Ramnarayan Gochhikar, secretary of Pratihari Nijog, said it has been decided to assign two Pratihari Sevayats (servitors) to keep an eye on the devotees entering the temple at Singhadwar.

Each servitor will be deployed during ‘Dwara Phita’ rituals in the morning and ‘Sandhya Arati’ rituals in the evening from Pana Sankranti on April 14. More servitors will be assigned to guard throughout the day and night on a daily basis in due course.

Gocchikar said the Pratihari servitors used to guard Srimandir as per practice. But it was stopped gradually due to different reasons.

However, after some non-Hindus managed to evade the security personnel deployed for the purpose and enter the temple, the Pratihari Nijog took up the matter and held a meeting with the temple administration. It was decided at the meeting to revive the old practice to check the entry of non-Hindus into the temple, he added.

As per tradition, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the 12th century temple. A notice board has been put up in front of the Singhadwar in this regard. But a few days back, two Bangladeshi non-Hindu visitors, a British citizen and another foreign lady managed to enter the temple.