点评:It seems wrong to review one of the four spiritual dhams here so please take this review as one based on practical matters and not spiritual ones!
This review is based on my direct experience plus that of my close family travelling with me and my witnessing their exiting from the temple immediately afterwards.. Please think very carefully before taking children, elderly people or anyone with any disabilities which might make them frail inside the frenzied atmosphere inside. In fact don’t! To get there you can only get so far by taxi and then you’ll need to walk 800m dodging rickshaws and scooters and hoping you don’t get killed (or get a rickshaw part of the way.) this was a stressful walk with my children. Queues are long and there is zero crowd management, safety monitoring or any semblance of sensible governance or administration of this sacred place. Paying pandits for VIP access is a stain on the principle of egality - people routinely suggesting”paying someone” for a better experience as I witnesses directly. The way it is run is a disgrace to the State of Odisha. If you’re happy to risk injury (one of our group -my brother - was injured by people pushing, shoving and creating calamitous conditions inside as he tried to save my mother from being crushed) go for it. Anyone suffering anxiety or claustrophobia etc should not go in. My sister was traumatised as I witnessed. They’ve banned non Hindus (one member of my close family) which is sad and not welcoming at all; Krishna’s core concept of equality seems to have been lost here. There are hardly any Western tourists in Puri anyway so hardly a problem of scale or demand. Touts are unregulated. The streets nearby are a mess. The sound of incessant horns detracts from the purpose of the visit. The fact they maintain an Instagram account is a curious juxtaposition - they should prioritise safety. The whole thing is patriarchy dominated including the administration which would benefit from diversity. If you can’t go inside you can see the changing of the flag etc though timings are loose and see Lord Jagannath from a different side which isn’t the same as visiting the inner sanctum but if you value your safety it might be the wisest thing you do. I’m truly saddened by the whole thing. Many other temples in India have better systems and they’d do well to consider this asap. People actually died in July 2025 in a stampede here: shocking (ref: multiple news reports).
翻译:在此点评四个灵性圣地中的一处似乎不太合适,因此请把这篇点评视作基于实际体验而非灵性层面的评价吧!
这篇点评源于我本人的亲身经历,以及与我同行的家人的体验;我还亲眼看到他们在离开后立刻走出了寺庙。在带儿童、老年人或任何身体较弱、容易在混乱环境中受伤的人进入寺庙前,请务必慎重考虑。事实上,最好不要带他们去!要到达那里,只能先乘出租车走一段路,之后还必须步行800米——途中得躲开人力车和摩托车,还得祈求自己平安无事(或者中途再叫一辆人力车)。我和孩子们走这一段路时真是压力山大。排队的人很多,但这里完全没有人群管理措施,也没有安全监控,更谈不上对这座圣地进行任何合理的治理或管理。花钱请人帮忙以获得VIP待遇,这种做法违背了平等原则——我亲眼目睹有人居然提议“花钱买通他人”来获得更好的体验。这样的运作方式实在是奥里萨邦的耻辱。如果你不在乎受伤的风险(我们一行人中,我的兄弟就因人群推挤而受伤;当时他正试图把我母亲从险些被挤伤的境地中救出来),那尽管去吧。但任何有焦虑症或幽闭恐惧症的人则绝对不应进入。我亲眼目睹,我的妹妹受到了心理创伤。他们禁止非印度教徒进入(我的近亲中就有一人是非印度教徒),这种做法令人遗憾且毫无包容性可言;克里希纳所倡导的平等理念在这里似乎已荡然无存。实际上,普里几乎没有什么西方游客,因此根本不存在规模或需求方面的问题。黄牛贩子也毫无监管。周边的街道一片混乱。此起彼伏的汽车喇叭声也破坏了人们前来游览的兴致。他们还维持着一个Instagram账号,这种做法实在令人费解——他们理应把安全置于首位。整个体系都由父权制主导,就连管理机构也是如此;其实增加多样性对他们而言大有裨益。虽然无法进入内部,但你仍能看到旗帜更换等仪式,只是时间安排较为随意。从另一个角度也能看到贾格纳特神像,虽不及亲临圣所来得真切,但若你把自身安全置于首位,这或许是最明智的选择。整件事让我深感难过。印度还有许多其他寺庙拥有更完善的管理系统,它们最好能尽快借鉴这种做法。2025年7月,这里曾发生踩踏事件,导致多人丧生:实在令人痛心(参考多家新闻报道)。