Puri: In view of rising cases of COVID-19, Shree Jagannath temple in Puri has been closed till May 15, the temple administration said Saturday.
“Shree Jagannatha Temple will remain closed for Darshan of Lords by the public till 15/05/21. All the daily rituals will continue with help of Sevayats and temple officials,” read a tweet (SIC) by Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA).
“The grave challenge posed by #COVID19 was discussed in detail. All were of the unanimous view that necessary steps must be taken to ensure continuity of age-old traditions Niti-Kanti (rituals) of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha,” the SJTA office informed on Twitter.
“For the same, ensuring the health of Sevayats, who do daily Seva-puja of Mahaprabhu is of utmost importance. Further rituals related to Rath Yatra will begin from Akshaya Tritiya day. (This year on 15th May),” another tweet informed.
“Any spread of COVID-19 amongst Sevayat Families will be detrimental to the observance of ensuing Festivals,” read yet another tweet.
For the sake of good health of servitors and continuity of temple rituals, the temple has been kept out of bounds from visitors.
Notably, till recently the temple remained closed for visitors Saturdays and Sundays for sanitisation of the temple premises.
PNN