PURI, INDIA, March 3, 2007: After more than 18 hours of debate, the food cooked for approximately 7,000 devotees at Puri’s Jagannath Temple was thrown away on Friday. A number of priests had insisted the prasadam (food blessed by the Deity) be discarded because it had been defiled by the entry of an American non-Hindu into the temple. The mahaprasad that went to waste was estimated to be worth around US$6,800.
The throwing away of such a huge quantity of food coincided with police confirming that the US national, Paul Roediger, had managed to gain entry through a temple priest. On Thursday, priests suddenly noticed a white man near the sanctum sanctorum, infamous for barring entry to Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 2005.
“People enter in groups and there is always the possibility of someone sneaking in,” said temple administrator, Suresh Mohapatra. Police detained Mr. Roediger, who is 59, for five hours for allegedly violating the age-old temple tradition which bars non-Hindus, especially those who consume “objectionable food,” from entering the shrine. Puri police said no case has been registered because there is no law under which Mr. Roediger can be charged. “Since there is no law to punish Roediger, the temple administration asked him to pay $5.00 for the mahasnana (purification ritual),” the police said.