Scientists in trouble over Sri Jagannath Temple photos in Odisha

Puri: Several photos of jagamohan (assembly hall) and the sanctum sanctorum of the Sri Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri are doing rounds on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter raising questions over the security arrangements at the 12th-century shrine. 

One Sadanand Sharma had uploaded these photos on Facebook on September 25 which have gone viral on the social networking sites and extensively shared on WhatsApp. 

According to his Facebook post, the photos were taken during the period of Rath Yatra celebrations when “scientific investigation” was being conducted inside the temple to sort out the problems of ventilation and humidity inside the jagamohan and sanctum sanctorum.

Expressing resentment over the photos, the servitors of the temple have demanded a high-level probe into the matter.

The incident comes couple of months after a selfie by a woman from West Bengal inside the temple had gone viral on Facebook in a similar manner. Temple servitors and priests demanded a thorough investigation into incident.

Carrying of cameras and video recording devices inside the temple are prohibited because of security concerns.

Reacting to the development, Odisha law minister Pratap Jena said the state government will begin a probe into the matter. “We have been informed about this matter. The government will constitute a probe panel to find out who took these pictures and uploaded them on social media platforms,” said Mr Jena.