Amid a raging controversy in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing entry of the non-Hindus into the Puri Jagannath Temple, history has it that at least nine notable personalities were denied entry to the shrine in the past.

The name that tops the list is none other than the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. When Gandhi came to Puri in 1934 accompanied by Vinoba Bhave, Muslims, Christians and Dalits, he was barred from entering the shrine.

Vinoba Bhave, an advocate of nonviolence and human rights, known for his Bhoodan Movement, was also refused entry as he had accompanied Mahatma Gandhi and his non Hindu followers into the Jagannath Temple.

Nobel laurate, Rabindranath Tagore, a Pirali Brahmin by birth, a poet, novelist, playwright, was denied entry into the temple for darshan.

In 1977, Bhakti Vedanta Swami Pravupada, the founder of Iskcon movement, had visited Puri. His devotees were not allowed to enter the temple and he was warned against making an attempt to step into the temple.

Father of Indian Constitution BR Ambedkar was barred from entering the Shreemandir when he visited Puri in July, 1945.

The British Viceroy of India from 1889 to 1905 lord Curzon, deeply enthusiastic about Indian history, archeology and geography, was not allowed into the temple when he visited Puri in 1900.

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was not allowed to enter the 12th century shrine because she was married to a Parsi, Feroze Gandhi. In 2005, Mahachakri Siridharan, the Queen of Thailand, was not allowed inside the temple as she was a follower of Buddhism.

Similarly, in 2006, the shrine did not allow a citizen of Switzerland named Elizabeth Jigler, who had donated Rs 1.78 crore to the temple because she was a Christian.

(Source: http://gopaljiu.org/excerpts/kk_13_history_pp_40-43.pdf)