Temple servitor scales Jagannath's spire to replace its sacred flags

Footage from Puri, India, follows the climb without ropes or a harness, from carved stone ledges to a prayer at the summit.

Channel: Republic Bharat ·

IndiaStory of October 31, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of Republic Bharat's most watched videos since yesterday, with 2,244,956 views.

Republic Bharat: The Hindi news channel of the Republic network, founded by the journalist Arnab Goswami, since 2019. 32M subscribers and 24B views.

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Carrying a bundle of flags, a temple servitor climbs the carved exterior of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, on India's eastern coast. There is no rope or safety harness visible as he moves from ledge to ledge toward the wheel-shaped emblem above the spire.

India's Hindi-language news channel Republic Bharat shows the ascent in a Short that drew about 2.2 million views since yesterday. Its caption describes the climb as being made "without any support"; the footage shows the servitor using the temple's stone carvings and architectural ledges as handholds and footholds.

Near the summit, he passes large hanging chains and climbs onto the Nilachakra, the metal wheel crowning the temple. Holding the central mast, he brings his hands together in prayer before turning to the flag-changing task.

He unties the previous flags, then unfurls a yellow flag bearing a sacred emblem. The sequence ends with him fastening the flags securely and beginning his descent as birds pass the spire. Devotional chanting accompanies the footage throughout.

The temple, in the state of Odisha, is dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu. Changing its flag is an established religious service, carried out by temple servitors, rather than a climb staged for the camera.

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