Bhubaneswar: In an ‘extraordinary’ move, the state government has decided to close Shree Jagannath temple in Puri for devotees till March 31 in the wake of the coronavirus menace.
According to historical documents, the 12th century shrine had been closed for devotees when Emperor Aurangzeb’s generals Ekram Khan and Marmast Khan Jamaulla attacked Srimandir in 1692.
The attackers had plundered the shrine by damaging its Lions’ Gate, but the Gajapati king of Puri and servitors had hidden the presiding deities prior to the attack.
The then shrine authorities had handed over fake idols of the presiding deities to the attackers. Later, the deities were reinstalled at the sanctum sanctorum but the temple was closed for devotees for some days. However, the servitors performed all rituals secretly, Srimandir records state.
Briefing media persons here Thursday, Shree Jagannath Temple Administrator (SJTA) chief administrator Krishan Kumar said, “As per the instruction of the state government to take necessary precaution against the COVID-19 outbreak and after local assessment it has been decided to cancel public darshan from Friday to March 31.”
However, he said, servitors will be allowed to enter the temple to perform daily rituals of the sibling deities – Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. The servitors have been instructed to take adequate precautions before entering the temple.
Earlier, following the outbreak of corona virus in the state, the SJTA had made it mandatory for devotees to fill up self-declaration forms stating that were not infected by the virus.
Earlier, the Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy issued directed the authorities to restrict entry of devotees to all religious places, including temples, mosques, gurudwaras and churches.
As per the order, the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar has also been closed for devotees. The order will be in effect from March 20 to April 1.
Flags catch fire
Puri: A few flags tied to the Neelachakra wheel of Srimandir caught fire from an earthen lamp offered atop the temple dome Thursday. The incident triggered discussions among the devotees and many of them termed it as a bad omen.
According to sources, an earthen lamp was offered atop the temple dome as part of a routine ritual around 7.30 pm. After sometime, at least two flags tied to the Neelachakra wheel caught fire due to gusty winds.
A few devotees spotted the burning flags and informed the temple officials. Soon, servitors removed all the flags except the Patitapaban flag from atop the temple, sources added.