PURI JAGANNATH TEMPLE REOPENS WITH WELL ARRANGED SECURITY FOR SMOOTH DARSHAN

Bureau,Odishabarta

Puri:Adhering to public health safety protocols amid Covid-19 spread, Puri Jagannath temple reopened Wednesday after over nine months.

Only the temple servitors and their families will be allowed for darshan today and the next two days and then the residents of the holy city will visit the temple from December 26 to 31 as resolved by the Temple administration.

District administration and the temple administration have made arrangements adequate security and to ensure devotees adhere to all the Covid-19 safety protocols strictly.

Entry of devotees inside the temple, which had continued on a regular basis since a long time, was prohibited during the pandemic owing to the risk of the transmission.

A meeting of the Temple Managing Committee had recently resolved to allow the residents of Puri, including the servitor families, for Darshan of deities from Wednesday till the end of this month and open the temple for all devotees from January 3,2021.

As per the decision, during the first three days beginning December 23, only the families of temple servitors would be allowed to have Darshan of the deities following all Covid 19 guidelines. The devotees entering the temple would have to wear face masks, sanitise hands at temple gate and maintain social distance. Temple security personnel would identify them.

For people residing within Puri municipality area, Swachha Saathis would move from door to door in all 32 wards of the civic body and would issue token to devotees seeking Darshan of deities marking the date and time of their entry. Each day, devotees of five wards would be issued token for Darshan.The Darshan would be arranged in three phases. First, from 7.30 am to 12 pm, the second phase from 12.30 pm to 4 pm and the third phase would begin from 4.30 pm till the closing of the temple doors for the night called “Pahuda” of deities.

Darshan schedule would be arranged every day in consultation with the temple priests, Collector Balwant Singh said. Temple would remain closed for devotees from December 31 night till January 2 next and devotees from across the country would be allowed from January 3 next.

The devotees seeking to have Darshan of the deities would have to show Covid negative certificates obtained 48 hours before their visit to Puri. Each day, only 5,000 devotees would be allowed entry into the temple, the Collector said.

Barricades were raised along the Badadanda from Municipal Market chowk up to the main gate of the temple. Nine rows have been created within the barricades for the smooth entry of devotees into the temple in queue keeping the social distance norms.

Devotees are barred from carrying offerings like Tulsi, flowers and other such items. Apart from temple security personnel, regular police personnel would be deployed in and around the temple.

Fifteen Pratihari servitors (traditional temple security) would volunteer for the conduct of the devotees in every phase of Darshan. Shoe stands, drinking water facility and sun shades were raised for the visiting devotees, informed the Collector.