A fresh wave of anger is sweeping through the Jagannath devotee community after an Instagram account was found openly advertising the sale of deeply sacred items tied to Lord Jagannath’s ancient traditions.
The account “gohonari4u” has been promoting the Gitagovinda Patta — a holy textile scroll of immense spiritual importance in the Shree Jagannath Temple — along with idols of Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra, and Mahaprabhu Jagannath himself.
In the temple’s centuries-old rituals, the Gitagovinda Patta is not mere fabric; it is an integral part of the Lord’s special Nitikanti observances, woven with devotion and used only in the most sacred ceremonies.
The moment the posts went viral, social media erupted. Devotees across Odisha and beyond expressed shock and dismay, calling the commercial sale a direct assault on their faith.
“These are not ordinary goods to be auctioned like souvenirs,” many bhaktas argued online. “Mahaprabhu’s sacred treasures belong to the temple, not to the open market.”The backlash has been swift and emotional.
Devotees, servitors (sevayats), and Jagannath culture lovers have flooded platforms with demands for an immediate ban on the posts and a full investigation into the account. They insist that turning holy objects linked to the Lord into profit-making items hurts the sentiments of millions of devotees worldwide.
Temple authorities and law enforcement agencies have not yet issued an official statement, and it remains unclear whether the items displayed are genuine temple artefacts or replicas. Yet the mere act of advertising them for sale has triggered widespread concern and calls for stricter oversight of religious content on social media.
As the controversy gains momentum, devotees are urging the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration and concerned authorities to act decisively to protect the sanctity of Jagannath culture from commercial exploitation.
