BHUBANESWAR: The Shri Jagannath temple at Puri is all set to impose a decency code making “decent attire” mandatory for entry into the shrine from the forthcoming new year. Any visitor or devotee not “appropriately dressed” will be deemed violating the rule and denied entry.
A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday. SJTA chief Ranjan Das the decision was taken following a series of complaints about people coming to the temple wearing indecent/inappropriate dresses which goes against maintaining the sanctity of the holy place.
“When one goes for an interview or to a formal space, he/she dresses up decently as a mark of respect to the place. Why does that not apply to the temple? We have come across devotees coming to the temple wearing tattered jeans, short pants and flashy, sleeveless clothes. They fail to realise that this is one of the holiest places on earth and one has to dress up in line with religious sentiments and values associated with the shrine,” he said.
Das said in the run-up to the implementation of the dress code for the next two months, an awareness drive will be carried out among people coming to the temple and stakeholders in the tourism industry. It has asked the Jatri Pandas who bring devotees to the temple, the Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) personnel deployed at the Lion's gate and Pratihari servitors inside the temple to sensitise them.
This apart, the SJTA will write to all the hotels, lodges and guest houses in Puri to inform their guests about the dress code if they plan to visit the shrine. “We will strictly implement the rule from January 1 and anyone found wearing inappropriate/indecent clothing to the temple will not be allowed to enter it,” Das said.
Several shrines across the country like temples in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have dress codes for devotees prohibiting them from wearing inappropriate clothing.