In a major security lapse at the Jagannath Temple ahead of the Government’s much-hyped heritage corridor project inauguration in Puri, a foreign national woman entered the Shreemandir defying the temple rules on Sunday.
The identity of the devotee was yet to be ascertained. However, no complaint in this regard has been registered with police.
According to reports, the foreign woman entered the temple in appropriate attire through the Singhadwar in the presence of heavy security and returned with Prasad after having darshan of the deities.
Blaming the security personnel for the dereliction of their duty, senior servitor Binayak Das Mohapatra said, “There was a huge crowd at the temple in the morning. Amid tight security around and inside the temple, the foreign national managed to get into the temple, had darshan and returned with Prasad. Surprisingly, the security personnel in front of the Singhadwar did not restrict her. Our servitors identified her as a foreign national.”
As per the norms, non-Hindus and foreigners are not allowed inside the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Only Hindus can enter the shrine to offer prayers to the deities. This has been the practice for centuries.
Puri is gearing up for inauguration of the much-awaited Shree Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project scheduled on January 17. The negligence by the police was reported ahead of the event.
