BHUBANESWAR: Men and women in ripped jeans, sleeveless t-shirts and western outfits will not be allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple in Puri from January 1, 2024, with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday appealing to devotees to maintain utmost decency in their attires while offering prayers to the deities.
“Though we have not introduced any dress code, we want devotees to wear very decent, palatable and unobjectionable clothes in the place of worship. Temple is neither a park nor a beach. From January 1, we plan to stop devotees who are found wearing distasteful clothes,” said SJTA’s chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das after convening a meeting with other officials and servitors on Monday.
Das said devotees are often spotted wearing fashionable attires, including ripped jeans, short pants and sleeveless outfits, on the shrine premises. He said such outfits are not just visually insulting but are also a mark of disrespect to the holy place.
“We will not be strict for minors up to 12 years. All above 12 years should wear decent clothes covering their bodies completely. Initially, we will raise awareness among devotees through media and public address systems,” Das said. He said that the broader objective is to promote an ambience of spirituality and devotion in the religious abode.
Welcoming the move, the devotees said the temple administration should provide adequate changing rooms around the shrine for them. “Planning a proper and decent dress code for devotees is praiseworthy. It will be convenient only for locals and tourists staying in hotels. But for many devotees, who visit the temple for a few hours from far-off places, changing rooms are a necessity,” said Sangita Mishra, a devotee from Bhubaneswar.
In October 2021, the SJTA unsuccessfully attempted to introduce a dress code for servitors and devotees in the shrine. Though several meetings were held, no conclusive decision could be reached.
“Though we have not introduced any dress code, we want devotees to wear very decent, palatable and unobjectionable clothes in the place of worship. Temple is neither a park nor a beach. From January 1, we plan to stop devotees who are found wearing distasteful clothes,” said SJTA’s chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das after convening a meeting with other officials and servitors on Monday.
Das said devotees are often spotted wearing fashionable attires, including ripped jeans, short pants and sleeveless outfits, on the shrine premises. He said such outfits are not just visually insulting but are also a mark of disrespect to the holy place.
“We will not be strict for minors up to 12 years. All above 12 years should wear decent clothes covering their bodies completely. Initially, we will raise awareness among devotees through media and public address systems,” Das said. He said that the broader objective is to promote an ambience of spirituality and devotion in the religious abode.
Welcoming the move, the devotees said the temple administration should provide adequate changing rooms around the shrine for them. “Planning a proper and decent dress code for devotees is praiseworthy. It will be convenient only for locals and tourists staying in hotels. But for many devotees, who visit the temple for a few hours from far-off places, changing rooms are a necessity,” said Sangita Mishra, a devotee from Bhubaneswar.
In October 2021, the SJTA unsuccessfully attempted to introduce a dress code for servitors and devotees in the shrine. Though several meetings were held, no conclusive decision could be reached.
