The Freethought Party of India (FPI) has called for reform in the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Act, 1955 for priest-less worship in the temple.
It demanded that the worship of the deities should be a simple and straightforward affair and free from all exploitations. No money should be paid to anyone while worshipping the deities, it said.
Saying that middleman between the devotees and the God is uncalled-for, the FPI demanded abolition of the services of the Shankaracharya, the Gajapati King and all servitors in the temple. “Priest-less worship should be the order of the day to liberate the people from the bondage of medievalism, caste system and meaningless religious festivals,” said a release of the party.