On September 28, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti was on a visit to Odisha with his family. Garcetti, who often visits popular places in India and shares pictures, had posted on X about his visit to the Puri Jagannath temple and witnessing the famous Dhwaja Parivartan (flag-changing ritual).
Visited the incredible Jagannath Temple in Puri—a nearly 1000-year-old marvel by the Bay of Bengal. Watching priests climb the 65-meter tower for the nightly flag change was truly breathtaking. The streets of Puri with artists preparing for Durga Puja, captures the vibrant spirit… pic.twitter.com/9bEi3Rhver
— U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti (@USAmbIndia) September 28, 2024
Garcetti shared that during the visit to the temple, he witnessed the nightly flag changing ritual and walked the streets of Puri. Media channels had shared the images of Garcetti and his wife visiting the Parikrama prakalpa (Jagannath Temple corridor project) which surrounds the temple. Garcetti was also seen posing for pictures before the Singha Dwara (Lion Gate).
Amid all these, there was some noise on social media about the US Ambassador’s visit to the temple which has a strict rule on entry. While many devotees are aware that non-Hindus are not allowed inside the Puri Jagannath temple, some on social media raised questions on how a non-Hindu was allowed to enter the temple.
It is to be noted here that Eric Garcetti did not actually ‘enter’ the Puri Jagannath temple. The temple management follows a very strict entry policy that bars all non-Hindus. Even the non-Indian ISKCON devotees, who are not India-born Hindus but foreigners who embrace the practices and rituals of Hinduism, worshipping Hindu Gods, are not allowed entry to the temple.
Odia newspapers have covered Garetti’s itinerary on September 28. Garcetti had arrived at Puri’s Swosti Hotel at 11.30 am. He then visited the famous blue flag beach for a short walk at 12 pm. He then arrived in the evening near the temple along with his wife and took a ‘Darshan’ of ‘Patitapavana’, the grand flag of the Jagannath temple.
It is notable here that every evening, the Sevayats of Puri Jagannath temple carry out the ancient ritual of changing the flag atop the temple. The Dhwaja Parivartan process is a difficult ritual that involves a young sevayat expertly climbing on the 1000-year-old stone temple, with the new flag tied to his body. He then ties the new flag and brings the old flag down. Hundreds of devotees gather outside the main temple premises to witness the ancient ritual.
It was that ritual that Garcetti witnessed, and posted about. The US Ambassador did not ‘enter’ the main temple to take a Darshan of the ‘Chaturdha Murti’, but he took a Darshan of Patitapavan, the grand flag, which is a representation of Lord Jagannath himself.
The Darshan of ‘Chaturdha Murti’ means entering the inner structure of the main temple, and having the Darshan of the grand idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Sudarshana. People who cannot enter the temple get the blessing of having the Darshan of the Chaturdha Murti only during the Ratha Yatra and Snana Purnima, when the deities step out of the temple. There is no entry barrier to the Grand Road for any religion or nationality during Ratha Yatra.
Significance of the Patitapavan Dhwaja
The Patitapavan Dhwaja is no less significant for the Odia devotees. Since the temple is a tall structure, it is visible from several kilometers away in the skyline of Puri. Odias living in Puri, and all surrounding villages, start their day by bowing down to this very flag after their morning bath. During the daily Dhwaja Parivartan rituals, devotees line up to offer a small flag of their own, to be tied up along with Patitapavan flag. When the sevayat climbs down daily after changing the flag, devotees seek fragments of the old flag, to keep in their homes as a sacred relic of Lord Jagannath and worship it.
The controversy over banning entry of non-Hindus
For hundreds of years, the Puri Jagannath temple has maintained a strict rule on granting entry. Only traditional Hindus are allowed. Neo-converts, the ISKCON devotees who are from foreign nations and not born in traditional Hindu families, and even some ‘reformists’ who have renounced faith in Hinduism, despite being born as Hindus, were historically denied entry.
Some of the most famous personalities throughout history, who were denied entry to the Jagannath temple in Puri include Sant Kabir, BR Ambedkar, Lord Curzon the then Viceroy of India, former queen of Thailand Mahachakri Siridharan, and former PM Indira Gandhi, because she was married to a Parsi.
One of the rare exceptions is an incident when Shri Dayamata, an American woman who succeeded Shri Paramahansa Yogananda to lead his institutions, was allowed to enter. The Mukti Mandap, the committee of priests that decides the religious affairs of the temple, allowed entry to her personally accompanied by the Gajapati Maharaja himself in 1959.
In 2018, the management of the Jagannath Temple was asked by the Supreme Court to consider allowing non-Hindus entry, with the caveat that they adhere to a dress code or promise to uphold the traditions of the temple.
However, the Gajapati Maharaj, the chief servitor of Lord Jagannath, and the temple priests said a firm ‘No’ to the Supreme Court’s suggestion. Gajapati Maharaj Dibya Singha Deva said, “The sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram, and Devi Subhadra bless all their devotees regardless of their religion during the annual Rath Yatra, adding lakhs of devotees also get the Darshan of the deities during ‘Snan Purnima’ (bathing festival)”.
He added, “Let me say for the sake of argument that if the Shankaracharya implies there is no issue with allowing entry of people of all faith into the temple, then also the government has to think carefully while keeping the temple’s security in mind.”
“When the world is under the threat of terrorism, can the government provide total security to Temple?”, he asked.
Multiple invasions by Muslims to destroy the Puri Jagannath temple
The Puri Jagannath temple is one of the most sacred pillars of faith for Hindus, and has been so for hundreds of years. It is one of the 4 sacred Dhams that a Hindu is required to travel to, to complete their pilgrimage. For that reason, the temple has been attacked by Islamic invaders multiple times during their conquests.
Illias Shah, the Sultan of Bengal, launched the first Muslim invasion of the Jagannath temple in 1340. Around 1360, Firoz Shah Tughlaq destroyed the Jagannath temple and desecrated the idols. In 1509, Ismail Ghazi, the commander of Bengal’s Sultan Husain Shah seized Puri and demolished the idols in the Jagannath Temple. Although Hindu King Prataprudradev chased out Ismail Ghazi, the temple witnessed multiple invasions even after this. Amir Fateh Khan conducted the fifteenth invasion in 1647. It was only after the Marathas made their way into Odisha that the constant invasions of the Jagannath temple stopped.
During the repeated invasions and pillages, the temple’s idols were moved and hidden at distant places. The repeated attacks and destruction of the temple have led the people of Odisha to protect their temple and restrict entry only to the Hindus.
Clear signboards are placed outside the temple premises, telling visitors that only Hindus are allowed to enter.
The restriction is followed so strictly that even a Gajapati King himself was not allowed to enter the temple since he was married to a Mughal soldier’s daughter.
As per Madala Panji, the palm leaf chronicles of the Jagannath temple, one of the Gajapati King Ramachandra Deb was denied entry into the Shri Mandir despite being the first servitor of Lord Jagannath as he was married to Rejiya, who was a Mughal soldier’s daughter.
In 1984 When Indira Gandhi was prime minister, priests objected because she was married to a non-Hindu, consequently, she had darshan from the Raghunandan Library. Even Vinoba Bhave and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi were refused entry into the temple in 1934 when they tried to do so while traveling with foreigners and non-Hindu followers.
The documents of the Temple note that when Guru Nanak visited Puri in 1508 AD with a non-Hindu associate, he was denied entry at first by the sevayats. But Lord Jagannath himself intervened. He appeared in the dream of Gajapati Maharaja and ordered him to allow entry to Guru Nanak, because he was Lord Jagannth’s beloved devotee.
