Museum for foreigners outside Jagannath Temple

BHUBANESWAR: Amidst controversy over ban on entry of non-Hindus to temples, the Orissa government has decided to set up a museum complex outside the Sri Jagannath temple at Puri for foreigners and converted Hindus.

Temple sources said the museum would enable non-Hindus who were denied entry to the temple, to understand different aspects of the famous 12th century shrine.

"We expect that nobody would return with displeasure from the holy town for being denied entry into the temple after functioning of the museum," the temple's chief administrator Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said today.
 
Official sources said the idea of setting up a museum outside the temple premises came in the wake of denial of entry to Thai Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn, a Buddhist, in 2005.

The Orissa government had to face embarrassment for being unable to convince the priests and local people that Buddhists could enter the temple.

According to the Culture department secretary Gopinath Mohanty, the government has already identified five acres of lands at Baliapanda near the sea for the museum.

"The government has estimated Rs 5 crore for the proposed museum," Mohanty said, adding this would add to the tourism potential of the pilgrim town.

He said that almost all the foreign tourists who visit Orissa go to Puri and many of them envisage interest to view the interior of temple but were not allowed inside  due to restrictions on religious grounds.

The proposed museum would solve the problem to a great extent, he said.

According to senior priest Rabindranath Pratihari, the priests would have no objection to the government's proposal to set up a museum for the non-Hindus.

"We do not allow entry of foreigners and non-Hindus inside the temple because Puri is one of the four major 'dhams' (pilgrimage sites) of Hindus in India where traditions were strictly maintained," he said, adding this did not mean that the priests hated them.

Above all, the temple was a place of worship and not a tourist amusement centre, he said, adding the reason behind opposing the entry of non-Hindus was to maintain tradition of the temple.

"We perform the same rituals today as was being performed thousands of years ago," said Gajapati Maharaja of Puri Dibyasingha Deb, who is also the chairman of the temple's management committee.

Mohanty said foreign visitors and non-Hindus would get a glimpse of the temple's interiors in the museum.

Various attires of Lord Jagannath would be displayed in the museum and visitors could experience the different events observed inside the temple through the year, the sources said.