Puri, Jan 20: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri has lodged a police complaint against a social media account for allegedly sharing artificial intelligence–generated images and videos of Lord Jagannath, which have triggered widespread anger among devotees in Odisha and other parts of the country.

The SJTA said it had come across “objectionable and unacceptable” AI-created visuals of Lord Jagannath circulating on social media platforms. The content was reportedly uploaded by a user operating under the handle ‘vishvrajcreation’.

The temple’s Special Security Officer filed the complaint at the Singhadwar police station, stating that the fabricated visuals have severely hurt the religious sentiments of devotees and caused public resentment.

Temple officials pointed out that while earlier cases involved unauthorised photography and circulation of real images from within the shrine, this is the first known incident where artificial intelligence has been misused to generate content that disrespects the revered deity.

One of the controversial videos shows milk being poured over Lord Jagannath using a crane in front of the temple—an act that experts on Jagannath culture have described as completely imaginary and contrary to established temple traditions.

Another AI-generated clip reportedly depicts Lord Jagannath holding a conch and chakra, with a digitally created sea in front of the Srimandir. These visuals, which have no religious or traditional basis, have intensified outrage among devotees.

Meanwhile, the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), the apex body overseeing the 12th-century shrine, has recently decided to amend existing legal provisions to classify such acts as illegal and punishable offences.

Devotees have strongly demanded the immediate removal of the videos from social media and strict action against those responsible for creating and circulating the content.