The Odisha Assembly was informed on Saturday that drones were illegally operated at least 10 times above and near the Jagannath Temple in Puri over the past 19 months, raising fresh questions about security at one of India’s most visited shrines.
Replying to a written question by BJD MLA P. K. Deb, law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said, “Ten cases have been registered at Singhadwar police station in Puri after detection of drones being flown since June 2025.
While final forms have been submitted in two cases, the investigation of the remaining eight cases is ongoing.” An order issued by the Puri district administration prohibits flying drones above and near the shrine and treats it as an offence.
The temple area has also been declared a “no flying zone” by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) until September 25, 2028, given the sensitivity of the location.
The restriction bars all drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within a specified perimeter and altitude around the shrine to prevent security breaches. The 12th-century shrine functions under the Law Department of the Odisha government.
The Assembly was also told that 700 people entered the temple premises with mobile phones without permission since June 2024.
“The police have collected a penalty of Rs 6.93 lakh for violation of the norm that bans carrying mobile phones and cameras into the temple premises,” the minister said.
Harichandan further informed the House that at least eight cases were detected in which offenders illegally took photos or videos of the inner portion of the temple premises and circulated them on social media.
Of these, five cases have been probed into, while the remaining are under investigation. The financial disclosures presented in the Assembly offered a snapshot of the scale of public offerings at the shrine.
Devotees of Lord Jagannath have donated over Rs 304.57 crore to the temple between 2011-12 and 2024-25, and over 58 kg of mixed gold between 1981-82 and 2024-25, the minister said while replying to a written question by BJD’s Dhruba Charan Sahoo.
The temple’s hundi received over Rs 18.59 crore during the 2024-25 fiscal alone. In addition to cash offerings, devotees donated 3 kg 441 grams of mixed gold and approximately 33 kg 648 grams of mixed silver ornaments in the last financial year.