Bhubaneswar, February 21 Drones were illegally operated at least 10 times above and near the Jagannath Temple in Puri in the last 19 months, the Odisha assembly was informed on Saturday.
Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan also said that devotees of Lord Jagannath have donated over Rs 304.57 crore to the Puri temple in a span of 14 years and over 58 kg of mixed gold to the shrine in 44 years.
The 12th-century shrine functions under the Law Department of the Odisha government.
Responding to a written question by BJD MLA P K Deb, 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.”
According to the order issued by the Puri district administration, flying drones above and near the shrine was prohibited and treated as an offence.
The temple area is also declared as “no flying zone” by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) until September 25, 2028, keeping in view the sensitivity of the place, an official said, adding that the order restricts all drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within a specified perimeter and altitude around the shrine to prevent security breaches.
Similarly, the minister said that 700 people have 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,” he said.
The minister further informed the Assembly that at least eight cases have been detected when the offenders illegally took photos/videos of the inner portion of the temple/premises and circulated them on social media.
Of the eight cases, five have been probed into, and the others are under investigation, the minister said.
Devotees of Lord Jagannath have donated over Rs 304.57 crore to the temple from 2011-12 to 2024-25 and over 58 kg of mixed gold to the shrine between 1981-82 and 2024-25, the law minister said while replying to a written question by BJD’s Dhruba Charan Sahoo.
He also said that the hundi (donation box) of the Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri received over Rs 18.59 crore during the 2024-25 fiscal.
Apart from cash offerings, devotees have also donated 3 kg 441 grams of mixed gold and approximately 33 kg 648 grams of mixed silver ornaments at the temple last year.