According to priests, the foreigner managed to enter the temple premises and cross 'Baisi Pahachha' (22 steps) even as the Lion Gate area, the main entry point, was heavily guarded by armed security personnel.
After he was spotted by some priests who could not understand his language, they handed him over to a temple office (Garada) and informed the police, they said.
"The foreigner said his name was Ram Babu Das. He claimed to have come from Khajuraho. The temple people released him before police could reach the spot. We are trying to locate him and verify his antecedents," Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahu told reporters.