Imagine a country where even the Prime Minister can't enter a temple. Sounds strange, right?

This actually happened with Indira Gandhi, India's first female Prime Minister. She was denied entry into the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. Why? Because of an age-old tradition.

Jagannath Temple is one of the most sacred Hindu temples, dedicated to Lord Jagannath (a form of Vishnu), along with his siblings Balram and Subhadra. But the temple follows a strict rule - only Hindus are allowed to enter. No exceptions.

Indira Gandhi had married Feroze Gandhi, who was a Parsi. Because of this interfaith marriage, the temple authorities did not consider her a "pure Hindu" by their standards.

Even though she was the most powerful woman in India at the time, she still faced the temple's restrictions.

In fact, this rule isn't just for her. In 2006, a Swiss woman named Elizabeth Jigler was also denied entry, even after she donated ₹1.78 crores to the temple. Why? Because she was Christian.

This shows how deeply rooted traditions still hold strong, even in front of power and money.