Puri: After remaining off-limits for over three months for devotees, the Sri Jagannath temple in Puri reopened Thursday. Like last year, family members of the servitors had the darshan of the deities following Covid-19 guidelines.
The family members of servitors will visit the shrine for two days – August 12 and 13 and have a darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings from Mangal Alati till Rati Pahuda.
The servitors’ family members don’t need to show vaccination certificate or RT-PCR negative report. The only documents they need to carry are Health Card or any other ID card issued by the SJTA, Aadhar or PAN cards. Besides, they can enter and come out through any of the four gates of the temple.
After the weekend shutdown, the next five days from August 16 to 20 are set aside for Puri town residents. The temple will remain closed August 21 and 22 due to weekend shutdown.
From August 23 onwards, all devotees will be allowed inside the temple. But they will have to produce a complete vaccination certificate or RT-PCR negative test report obtained within 96 hours prior to the darshan.
Further, the devotees will need to carry a photo ID card such as an Aadhar or PAN card. Devotes will enter the shrine through Lion’s gate and exit through the north gate. The darshan will start from 7am and will continue till 7pm every day excluding the weekend shutdown. During weekend shutdowns, the shrine will be sanitised.
It has been made mandatory for devotees to sanitise hands before entering the shrine, wear masks as long as they are inside and outside it and maintain social distancing. Meanwhile, dining at the Anand Bazaar has been barred.
Notably, to avoid crowding, the temple will remain closed on Janmasthami (August 30) and Ganesh Puja (September 1) for darshan.
Similarly, devotees are not allowed to touch statues or idols inside the temple. They are requested not to come with lamps and flowers. Carrying polythene bags and chewing paan or tobacco and spitting inside the temple has also been prohibited. If caught chewing paan or tobacco or carrying polythene bags, fines of Rs 500 and Rs100 respectively will be collected, a temple official said.
PNN