Why opening all four gates of Puri Jagannath temple was top priority for new BJP government in Odisha

All four gates of the Jagannath temple in Puri were opened for devotees on Thursday (June 13), a day after Odisha’s new BJP Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi took oath.

“With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the BJP formed a government in Odisha. As promised by our party, the first proposal which we approved in our cabinet was to open all four entrance gates of the temple,” Majhi told the media.

This comes four years after three of the four entrances to the 12th century shrine were closed by the previous Biju Janata Dal government under Naveen Patnaik.

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Puri’s Jagannath temple, among the most revered Hindu shrines in the state (and India), is dedicated to the worship of Lord Jagannath, believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu, along with his older brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. It is one of the chardhams, four of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus, and thus sees heavy footfall.

The four gates

The four gates of the Jagannath temple are located on the mid-points of its boundary wall, and face the four cardinal directions. They are named after different animals.

The main east-facing entrance is called the Singhadwara (or the ‘Lion’s Gate’), with two stone sculptures of lions standing guard. According to popular belief, those who enter through this gate attain moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth-rebirth).

The north, south and west entrances are known as Hastidwara (‘Elephant Gate’), Aswadwara (‘Horse Gate’) and Vyaghradwara (‘Tiger Gate’), respectively. In popular belief, entering through the Aswadwara helps one shed kama (lust), entering through Vyaghradwara reminds one of one’s dharma (cosmic law underlying right behaviour and social order), and entering through the Hastidwara brings wealth.

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Behind gates being shut

The Jagannath temple was closed for devotees after the pandemic-induced lockdown began on March 25, 2020. It was opened nine months later, on December 23. But only the main entrance was kept operational.

The state government under Patnaik cited the ‘Srimandir Parikrama’ project as the reason for the gates’ closure. Inaugurated earlier this year, the ambitious Rs 800-crore project involved the development of a 75-metre-long heritage corridor around the temple, and aims at providing improved amenities for devotees.

But even after the corridor’s inauguration, the three gates remained firmly shut, leading to massive queues at the Singhadwara, and calls for their opening.

BJP makes it a poll issue

The BJP, which recently wrested control of Odisha from the 24-years long incumbent BJD, has been demanding that all four gates be reopened for some time now. They accused the BJD government of becoming a ‘barrier’ between the temple gods and their devotees, and even linked the gates’ closure to Odia asmita (Odia pride).

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This came as the BJP was trying to corner the BJD over the growing influence of V K Pandian, a Tamil Nadu-born ex-IAS officer, in the BJD, also invoking rhetoric surrounding Odia pride.

As elections drew nearer, Union Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly said in public meetings that the BJP would open all four entrances “within hours” of assuming power. The party even included this in its manifesto.

And the party made good on this promise. Majhi visited the temple on Thursday early morning, along with all his ministers, a number of MLAs, Puri MP Sambit Patra, and other senior BJP leaders. He has also announced the creation of a Rs 500-crore corpus for the safety, security and beautification of the Jagannath temple.