Puri Jagannath Temple makes dress code mandatory for devotees

People wearing half-pants, shorts, ripped jeans, skirts, and sleeveless dresses would be denied access to the iconic Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri, authorities said on Monday, news agency PTI reported. To enter the temple, devotees would be expected to wear "decent clothes" that are not exposing, they claimed. Men were observed entering the 12th-century sanctuary wearing dhotis and 'gamchas' as the new regulation took effect, while ladies were primarily seen wearing sarees or salwar kameez.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has requested hotels to inform visitors about the dress code because most pilgrims arrive into the temple from there, according to authorities.

The SJTA has also upped its vigilance against chewing gutkha and pan within the temple, as well as the usage of plastic bags, which has been prohibited.