Jagannath Temple Odisha: A proposal to re-open all four gates of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri on Thursday morning was the first decision taken with the formation of the cabinet in Odisha led by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi. The meeting was  chaired by the new CM, who also became the first BJP leader to hold the position in the state.

"The state government decided to reopen all four gates of the Puri Jagannath temple in the early morning tomorrow, June 12 in the presence of all ministers. Devotees will have access to the temple through all four gates," Majhi said.

CM Majhi said that the opening of all the gates of the temple was one of the promises of the election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He added that the closure of the gates creates problems for the devotees visiting the temple.

Closure Of Four Gates: History

The four temple gates have remained closed since the Covid-19 pandemic, which was announced by the BJP administration. There was just one gate through which the devotees could enter, and it has been demanded that all gates be opened. The opening of the gates took place after four years. Puri’s Jagannath temple is among the most revered Hindu shrines in the state and is dedicated to the worship of the Lord Jagannath, who is believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu, along with his older brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.

Why The Temple Was A Poll Issue

During the Lok Sabha poll campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah raked up the issue of the “missing” keys of the Ratna Bhandar, the inner treasury of the Jagannath Temple, and blamed BJD, led by Naveen Patnaik, for its failure to come clean on inventorying the jewellery and precious stones stored in it.

“The tradition of Jagannath Dham has been lowered in the name of promoting Puri as tourist hub. The Shreekshetra (Puri) has been transformed into a commercial centre. The mutts have been demolished and the four entry doors of Jagannath Temple remain closed. There was conspiracy to stop Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath,” Shah had said in public meetings as quoted by News 18.

According to the Odisha government led by Patnaik, the Ratna Bhandar was last opened in 1985. Until 1985, no one had seen the inner chamber of it, which was divided into two parts. 

The BJP had constantly accused the BJP government of becoming a barrier between the temple gods and their devotees and also linked the gate closure to Odia pride. The party made it a promise as the election drew closer.

CM Majhi visited the temple early on Thursday morning along with his ministers, a number of MLAs, Puri MP Sambit Patra, and other senior BJP leaders. He has also announced plans to create a Rs 500-crore corpus for the safety, security, and beautification of the temple.