Puri Srimandir servitors demand dress code for devotees

The Daitapati Nijog, a servitor’s body in Puri Srimandir has demanded a dress code for the devotees visiting the temple.

As per their allegation, many devotees who come to avail darshan of Lord Jagannath do not wear proper clothes which hurts Jagannath culture and the religious sentiments of other devotees. The Nijog demanded that the devotees who arrive here in western attire should be provided a changing room to change and enter the Temple with appropriate clothing.

Secretary of the Nijog, Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra said, “A lot of devotees even enter the shrine and reach out to Lord Jagannath wearing half pants. A dress code should be made mandatory and the violators should be punished too.”

“I have seen in south India, where female devotees go into the temples maintaining utmost piety. Ladies should wear saree and girls can wear salwar which would not seem indecent. Children can be exempted, but it would be better if we teach them the dress code and the piety of the Temple from childhood,” said Ganesh Dasmohapatra, a servitor.

While a lot of devotees endorsed the idea of a dress code for Srimandir, they also opined that there should be clarity on the issue. Some are also of the opinion that the dress code should be exempted for children up to 14 years of age.

“Nobody is above the law. However, children should be exempted from this. Our goal should be to cover the body of the devotees as much as possible so that the religious sentiment of other devotees is not hurt,” said Sachikanta Satapathy, a local of Puri.

Asked about the demand, SJTA Administrator (Ritual), Jeetendra Sahoo said, “The SJTA knows about the demand. But it can only be made into a law after a mutual agreement between Srimandir Management Committee, Servitor’s Body, and the district administration.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has already made dress code compulsory for servitors from October 20, 2021.

As per the dress code, all the servitors have been directed to wear Dhoti, towel, and Patta while performing puja, but the rule is yet to be followed religiously.