From August 16, the world-famous Jagannath Temple in Puri will reopen for devotees. Starting with the second wave of the Covid pandemic, the 12th-century shrine will reopen for the first time. It was closed to the public for more than three months.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, Shree Jagannath Temple Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar announced the major decision.
Kumar stated that the temple will reopen on August 16 with a carefully calibrated reopening strategy. It will allow local Puri residents to enjoy the darshan of the Lords for the first five days.
Due to weekend shutdown restrictions imposed by the State government in Puri, devotees will not be allowed on the 21st and 22nd of August.
According to the Chief Administrator, the darshan would be normalized after that. Devotees from all across the country will be able to visit the Jagannath Temple from August 23.
For devotees visiting the shrine, the temple authorities have enumerated some primary restrictions. People who seek to pay devotion to the Holy Trinity will be allowed inside the temple only after showing a final vaccination certificate or a negative RT-PCR test report. The report must be more than 96 hours old.
The temple’s darshan hours have been set for five days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the temple will remain closed for devotees as a result of the weekend shutdown. Apart from that, on the occasion of Janmashtami, the public in the temple will be restricted.
The temple administration has also stated that in the run-up to the reopening of the temple, it will try to ensure that all servitors, temple administration officials, and their family members are fully vaccinated or tested negative for Covid.
Sevayat Rajat Kumar Pratihari, speaking to the media, stated that the servitor community will fully support the temple administration. Also, the public will be supported in organizing the darshan. Food will not be allowed to be eaten inside the Ananda Bazaar.
Mahaprasad, on the other hand, will be available for purchase, he said.
