Puri Priests Learn Martial Arts
Source:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/p...detNAT25.shtml

BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, November 29, 2002: Servants of Puri's Lord Jagannath
might soon have an added qualification on their resumes. Priests who have
spent a lifetime fine-tuning ritual supplication will now learn the art of
resistance. Wary of an Akshardham or a Raghunath temple-style attack,
administrators of Puri's most famous landmark have decided to impart martial
arts training to the temple's priests. The way temple administrators see it,
should terrorists manage to breach the outer security cordon of gun-toting
personnel, the priests with their newly acquired karate, judo or kung-fu
skills will present a second line of defense. "We are now initiating efforts
to revive the traditional security system keeping in view modern needs.
Thousands of devotees visit the shrine daily for a darshan of Lord
Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. Entry and exit of so many
people makes the shrine vulnerable to terrorists," temple administrator B.
S. Panda said. The priests seemed enthusiastic saying, "It (physical
training) will be very good," said R.C. Dasmohapatra, president of the
Daitapati Nijog. The temple administrator did not explain how an unarmed
priest, however skilled in martial arts, could successfully overcome a
heavily armed terrorist.