No leather belts and jackets but wallets allowed at Jagannath temple

Rajendra Prasad Sharma

Odisha Tourism recently took a bunch of scribes, who are part of this World Cup here, for a trip to the 900-year-old Jagannath Temple in Puri, an hour's drive from the Kalinga Stadium.

The tourist guide made the trip worth it with his in-depth knowledge of dates and deities. Just before entering the temple, however, one of the shopkeepers handed out an important instruction laced with a bit of fun.

"No carrying mobiles or wearing anything made of leather like jackets, belts, etc into the temple," said the local. "What about leather wallets," one reporter asked innocently. "Oh, that's allowed… because they need your money," he said as the group cracked up.

Odisha top cop is a doc
Director General of Odisha Police, Dr Rajendra Prasad Sharma is a huge sports buff and he proved it at the Fan Village here recently when he rattled off statistics and match results from Indian hockey's history during a felicitation ceremony for Manpreet Singh & Co. Interestingly, the top cop is also a doctor. "If any cop is sick, he willingly recommends medicine," one of the cops here told mid-day.

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