Now, non-Hindus too can have darshan of Puri deity

[Guest guest]

<h3>Now, non-Hindus too can have darshan of Puri deity</h3>

 

Imran Khan in Bhubaneswar

 

There is good news for non-Hindus desiring to have

a glimpse of the lord in Puri's famous Jagannath

temple.

 

Gopinath Mohanty, director of the Orissa tourism

department, said the government has decided to build

an elevated swing tower with a platform on the northern side of the world

famous temple to enable non-Hindus to pay their respects to the lord

without entering the temple.

 

It will be the closest that non-Hindus will ever get to the lord.

 

The temple is probably the only one in the country where the pandas

(priests) are still opposed to the entry of non-Hindus inside its premises.

 

In fact, the priests enjoy the Puri Shankaracharya's support on this matter.

 

At the temple's main entrance, guarded by stone lions, a small marble plate

proclaims - Only Hindus are allowed.

 

About ten years back, the pandas prevented Dr Kamalesh Choudhry, a

Pune-based friend of well-known Oriya writer Prativa Ray, from entering

the temple.

 

The pandas suspected Dr Choudhry of being a Christian. It was only after

much pleading by Ray that she was allowed to enter the temple.

 

Several such cases have been publicised in recent times. Members of

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) are also not

allowed to enter the temple.

 

From Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi to former prime minister

Indira Gandhi, the pandas have spared no one.

 

Mahatma Gandhi was prevented from entering the temple as he was

accompanied by Harijans while Acharya Vinobha Bhave faced the wrath

of the pandas for being accompanied by Muslims.

 

Indira Gandhi's fault was that she was married to a Parsi.

 

It is said that Biswanath Das, a former prime minister of Orissa (before

independence, the chief minister of the state was called prime minister), did

not visit the temple protesting against the denial of admission to

non-Hindus to the inner sanctum of the temple.

 

According to temple sources, the first converted Hindu who entered the

inner sanctum of the temple, in 1950, was Shri Shri Dayamata, an

American woman who succeeded Shri Shri Pramananda Yogananda as

head of the Yogananda Sangha Math.

 

 

[Jagat]

Thanks for that. There is some useful information here.

[Guest guest]

Actually, after posting the "thumbs up" icon, I had second thoughts. After all, it is still closed to us. But perhaps in another century they will be liberal enough....

[Krsnacandra dasa]

Even if this plan is cancelled, keep in mind that even Srila Rupa Goswami was not allowed in the Jagannath temple in Puri.

[talasiga]

Hey !

You don't need to be a Hindu

to see Krishna

Don't have to feed yourself fish

to see Christ

You don't even have to be Gay

to be happy

 

There are no stone lions

at your heart

and

No pandas keeping you apart

from the mainline

to the Lord.

 

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talasiga@hotmail.com