Dress code for devotees entering Jagannath temple begins from today

The temple administration has said that police and the temple servitors would keep an eye on anyone wearing ‘indecent’ clothes

Published on: Jan 1, 2024, 13:30:24 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration has asked the devotees visiting the iconic temple in Puri in Odisha to not wear clothes such as shorts, ripped jeans and skirts from today while entering the temple premises and said that police and the temple servitors would keep an eye on anyone wearing “indecent” clothes.

The Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. (File)

The temple administration chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das said devotees should wear traditional clothes like trouser pants, churidar, salwar kameez and dhoti while entering the temple.

“Similar dress codes are in place at several shrines across the country,” said Das. “The Jagannath temple police and the temple servitors would keep an eye on anyone wearing indecent clothes,”he added.

The move comes two years after the temple administration introduced a dress code for the temple servitors from October 2021. The servitors now wear dhoti, towel, and patta while performing puja.

The Daitapati Nijog, a leading body of servitors in the temple, had been demanding a dress code for the devotees visiting the temple, complaining that many came to the temple in shorts that hurt religious sentiments of other devotees.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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