Puri: Srimandir, the abode of Lord Jagannath, lost donations worth around half a crore rupees in last 20 days as the shrine has been closed for devotees since March 20 to check the spread of deadly coronavirus.
It is learnt that the 12th century shrine will lose huge amount of donations if the restrictions on devotees’ entry remain in force for some more days.
Srimandir sources said devotees usually donate money and precious metals like gold and silver to the shrine after paying obeisance to the presiding deities. As per a rough estimation, at least 50,000 devotees from across the country and abroad usually visit Srimandir everyday while the number crosses 1 lakh during festivals.
“Donations worth around Rs 2.50 lakh are collected from the temple Hundi (donation box) everyday. The amount reaches around Rs 5 lakh during festivals,” said a Srimandir source.
In the wake of the worldwide coronavirus scare, the Puri district administration had decided to close Srimandir for devotees from March 20 to April 1. The administration subsequently decided to extend the restrictions on devotees’ entry into the shrine till April 14 to check the spread of the deadly virus.
“There is a ban on devotees’ entry into Srimandir. As a result, the shrine has lost donations worth around Rs 50 lakh in last 20 days,” added the source.
According to sources, the temple authorities had found Rs 23, 214 from the donation box March 20 while they got only Rs 284 from the box Wednesday. “Many devotees had donated money in the evening of March 19. That is why the shrine authorities got Rs 23,214 from the donation box March 20. The total collection from the temple Hundi in last 20 days has not crossed Rs 1 lakh,” said the source.
Srimandir Public Relations Officer Laxmidhar Pujapanda, meanwhile, claimed that some devotees still reach the Lions’ Gate of the shrine and pay obeisance to Lord Patitapaban every day. “These devotees often give money to the security personnel, servitors and Srimandir employees and urge them to put the amount in the temple Hundi,” Pujapanda added.