Jagannath Temple shut for 14 hours after tussle between priests and police

Thousands of devotees at the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Friday had to return disappointed after waiting for hours as the priests refused to open the gates following a confrontation with the police.

The stand-off took place when a priest Bhawani Shankar Mohapatra tried to take three devotees inside the temple on Thursday evening, officials said.

The police personnel at the main gate stopped them as they suspected them to be non-Hindus, officials said.

According to the custom, only Hindus can enter the temple.

Agitated at the police action, the priests closed down the temple gates for 14 hours, causing disappointment to thousands of devotees.

The temple was however, open on Saturday.

The Supreme Court has asked the temple administration to implement some of the reform measures by January 1, next year.

In 1984, former prime minister Indira Gandhi was not allowed by priests to enter the temple as she had married a Parsi.

In 2006, a Swiss citizen Elizabeth Jigler, who had donated Rs 1.78 crore to the temple donation box, was denied entry as she was a Christian.