Archive · 1 Jan 2026
Puri Temple Halts 2026 Calendar Sale Over Deity Error
The Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, stopped selling their 2026 calendars because the picture of the three sibling deities—Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath—was in the wrong order.
The image was taken from an old painting on a palm leaf manuscript.
The temple said it was a mistake and apologized.
A political party spokesperson said it was unfortunate that the deities were not shown in their usual positions.
The temple administration did not consult experts before using the old painting, which made the mistake worse.
The temple administration stopped selling the calendars and issued an apology.
The BJD spokesperson criticized the administration for not consulting intellectuals and for the casual response to the issue.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) halted the sale of 2026 calendars due to an error in the depiction of the sibling deities' positions on the Ratna Singhasan.
The image was sourced from a century-old artwork on a palm leaf manuscript from the Odisha State Museum.
The error showed Lord Balabhadra in Lord Jagannath's position and vice versa, with Goddess Subhadra's position also incorrect.
The BJD spokesperson termed the error as unfortunate and alleged that the SJTA did not consult intellectuals before using the old painting.
The temple administration issued an apology and suspended the sale of the calendars and related items featuring the erroneous image.
- Who
- Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty
- What
- Temple authorities halted the sale of calendars featuring an incorrect depiction of the sibling deities' positions on the Ratna Singhasan
- When
- The error was discovered and addressed on Wednesday
- Where
- Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, India
- Why
- The calendar featured a century-old artwork with deities in non-traditional positions, causing public outrage
Temple Administration
BJD Spokesperson
Error Source
Temple Administration
The error was due to using a century-old palm-leaf painting from the state museum, which was an artist's interpretation.
BJD Spokesperson
The error reflects a lack of sensitivity towards Jagannath culture and Odia Asmita, and the administration did not consult intellectuals before using the painting.
Response to the Error
Temple Administration
The administration apologized and stopped selling the calendars to rectify the mistake.
BJD Spokesperson
The BJD criticized the administration for not consulting experts and for the casual response to the issue.
- Temple
- Shree Jagannath Temple
- Error Type
- Incorrect deity positions in calendar artwork
- Calendar Year
- 2026
- Artwork Source
- Century-old palm leaf manuscript from Odisha State Museum
- Action Taken
- Sale suspended, apology issued
- Controversy Point
- Deities shown in non-traditional positions on Ratna Singhasan
- Political Party Reaction
- BJD termed the error as unfortunate
- Temple Administration Response
- Apologized and stopped selling the calendars
