Odisha: With devotees no longer required to carry a Covid-19 certificate to enter the Puri Jagannath Temple from Thursday, some semblance of pre-Covid normalcy is set to return to the functioning of the 12th century shrine.
The government had made it mandatory for devotees to carry the report before being let in from January 3. Law minister Pratap Jena, who was in the pilgrim town on Wednesday, said the necessary arrangements have been made to ensure a hassle-free darshan of the deities.
“We request the devotees to comply with the government’s Covid-19 SOP and visit the temple wearing masks and also maintain social distance,” Jena told mediapersons. The temple’s chief administrator, Krishan Kumar, and district collector, Samarth Verma, among other senior officers also took stock of the preparations.
“Owing to a slight increase in the daytime temperature on Wednesday, we have arranged for adequate drinking water facilities for the devotees,” Kumar said. The residents of Puri town will exclusively be allowed to have a darshan of the deities from 6am to 7am every day.
The rest, including those from Puri and outside, can have a general darshan from 7am onwards till the night. As decided earlier, the administration will allow only 30,000 devotees throughout the day. The temple will remain closed on Sundays for the sanitization of its premises.
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