At Puri, Thai princess faces juggernaut

[Guest guest]

WE ALL NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. WHY ARE DEVOTEES NOT BEING ALLOWED TO

HAVE A DARSHAN OF LORD KRISHNA WHO IS THERE FOR ALL?????

 

At Puri, Thai princess faces juggernautAdd to Clippings

Sandeep Mishra

[ Monday, November 21, 2005 12:26:52 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

 

BHUBANESWAR: Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, on her maiden trip to

Orissa, was denied permission to enter the world famous Jagannath Temple as

foreigners are not allowed inside temples in Orissa.

 

Arrangements were made for the princess to view the temple from outside.

 

This, incidentally, came quick on the heels of US-born Pamela K Fleig, who

married an Indian and embraced Hinduism, being denied entry into the Lingaraj

Temple in Bhubaneswar recently, sparking off a row.

 

"This has been a practice for centuries," a senior temple official said. He

added that the Centre had earlier sought a clarification from the state

government on whether it would be possible to allow the Thai Princess into the

temple.

 

"We immediately consulted the temple’s body of priests and pundits, who did

not agree," the official disclosed.

 

Consequently, an arrangement was made atop the nearby Emara Mutt building for

the princess to have a glimpse of the gigantic 12th century temple.

 

At Puri, Thai princess faces juggernautAdd to Clippings

Sandeep Mishra

 

"It is a sensitive issue. We didn’t want to risk ignoring views of priests

and pundits on the matter. They are okay with people from undivided India but

not beyond that," the official told TOI.

 

Indian Buddhists and Jains, besides Buddhists, Jains and Hindus from

neighbouring Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan are allowed in the Jagannath

Temple.

 

But converted Hindus, Buddhists and Jains from other countries are not allowed.

Even the late PM Indira Gandhi was denied entry into the temple as she was

married to a Parsi.