Youth Climbs Atop Puri Jagannath Temple, Performs Puja; Major Security Lapse Reported

Puri: A youth climbed to the top of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri and reportedly performed puja on the Anla Bedha on Monday, triggering panic and raising serious questions over security at the 12th-century shrine.

The youth has been identified as Mahadev Gopinath Nayak, a resident of Saraipalli in Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh. According to reports, he managed to scale the temple and reach the rooftop, where he performed puja before temple security personnel and police were alerted.

Security personnel and police reportedly faced considerable difficulty in bringing him down. After sustained efforts, the youth was safely brought down from the temple premises.

Following the incident, both the police and the Shree Jagannath Temple administration have initiated inquiries. Officials are investigating how the youth managed to breach the security arrangements and gain access to the restricted area.

The incident reportedly occurred during the Khasapada ritual, when no devotees were present inside the temple, raising further concerns over the security arrangements at the shrine.

This is reportedly the third such incident in the past one year. In 2025, an elderly man from Bhadrak district and another man from Uttar Pradesh had also allegedly climbed to the top of the temple.

Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the security breach and determine whether any lapses occurred.