Bhubaneswar: The administration of the Lingaraj Temple has issued a show cause notice to servitor Rajkishore Mohapatra following a controversy surrounding a photo and video taken with Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty inside the temple’s restricted area. The Additional District Magistrate (ADM) directed Mohapatra to clarify within seven days how and under what authority the photo was taken, emphasising on repercussions if guidelines were breached. This incident has sparked concerns about the need for stricter security and adherence to temple rules.
The ADM, Rudra Narayan Mohanty, stated that stronger measures would be introduced to prevent such incidents. A station diary entry has been filed at the Lingaraj police station against the servitor. The other temple servitors have condemned the incident and urged for consistent enforcement of regulations.
Biranchi Pati, a member of the Puja Panda Niyog, stated that it is the servitors’ responsibility to ensure visitors adhere to temple protocols. He also held the administration accountable for lapses that allowed mobile devices into restricted areas.
After Shilpa shared images from inside the temple, people across the state reacted to it questioning the temple policies on photography and access which is prohibited. According to sources, Shilpa Shetty was in Bhubaneswar to inaugurate a jewelry showroom and visited the temple afterward.
Reacting to the incident, Bhubaneswar Ekamra legislator Babu Singh said, actors may not be in the know of rules and regulations, but the servitors should not encourage such practices. "The matter needs to be investigated and the servitor at fault must be questioned. No one has the right to play with devotees' sentiments," he said. Blaming the temple administration for the lapse, the legislator stated that such instances should not recur. "Rules are applicable during the President and Prime Minister visits, so how can we throw guidelines to the wind in case of celebrities. The people responsible for this must be punished," he assertively stated.
Earlier, in 2018, Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon had also courted controversy for her photo shoot for an ad inside the Lingaraj temple premises. After a lot of backlash, the temple administration had assured action against those found guilty of allowing the shoot.
Previous Instances of Puri Temple Photos Going Viral:
• November 18, 2022: A Bangladeshi citizen and ISKCON devotee, Akash Chowdhury, was arrested after posting a viral video inside the Puri Temple sanctum sanctorum.
• June 3, 2024: Anil Swain shared an interior photo of the temple on social media, investigation was taken up by Puri police.
• February 7, 2024: YouTuber Johnny Dutta from West Bengal uploaded a photo of the temple’s interior on Instagram.
Since January 2023, strict prohibitions have been in place for all visitors, including police and temple staff, against bringing mobile phones into the Puri Srimandir premises. However, enforcement remains inconsistent, leading to repeated breaches and public outcry for equal application of the rules to all, including servitors.
