Puri Jagannath Temple reopens for all devotees. Guidelines, SOPs released

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The Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri has reopened for all devotees from today. The temple had been closed for the public since April 24 due to COVID-induced restrictions and lockdown. Though the temple had reopened on August 12 in the first phase, only family members of the servitors were allowed inside the shrine. Now with the reopening, the temple authorities have laid specific guidelines in the wake of coronavirus. 

Puri Jagannath Temple reopens: Here are the guidelines 

• All devotees will be allowed entry to the shrine from 7 am to 7 pm
• The temple will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday for sanitisation of its premises
• The shrine will also be shut during major festivals to avoid mass congregations. Accordingly, the temple will remain closed on August 30 (Janmashtami) and September 10 (Shree Ganesh Chaturthi)
• Devotees visiting the temple will have to produce a full vaccination certificate or a negative Covid test report not older than 96 hours
• Devotees will be required to bring their photo ID Card, namely, Aadhaar/Voter ID
• It is mandatory for all devotees to wear masks at all times, inside and outside the temple, sanitise hands before entering into the temple, maintain physical distance at all times as per COVID-19 guidelines and follow Covid appropriate behaviour
• Devotees are requested not to touch statues or idols inside the temple
• It is prohibited to take flowers and deepa (lamp) inside the temple. There will be big containers placed at the entrance, where such items can be dropped if being carried by the devotees
• Lighting of the deepas (lamps) inside the temple by the devotees will not be permitted 
• Chewing of tobacco/paan and spitting inside the temple premises is strictly prohibited. A fine of Rs 500 will be levied for each violation
• There is a complete ban on carrying polythene bags inside the temple. A fine of Rs 100 will be levied for each violation
• There will be no partaking of Mahaprasad inside Ananda Bazar and the temple premises. However, the devotees can carry Mahaprasad and partake it at their place of residence or any other convenient place
• There will be a separate queue for differently-abled devotees, for darshan of the Lords
• Parking of the vehicles will be done only at Jagannatha Ballav Math premise or any other designated place
• Senior citizen (above 65 years)/persons having co-morbidities, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below 10 years are advised to not visit the temple in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation
• Devotees will make entry through the barricades opposite to the shoe stand, situated on the North-East side of the temple complex
• All devotees will enter through Singhadwar (Lion’s Gate)
• After the darshan, the exit will be through Uttaradwar (north gate)
• Devotees will leave their belongings at the designated place outside the temple

The above guidelines will be reviewed periodically and revised instructions will be issued from time to time to further facilitate darshan by devotees and also for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the order said.

Meanwhile, family members of servitors will be allowed darshan from Mangal Alati till Rati Pahuda through any of the gates. While entering the temple, they are required to produce their health insurance card /any other ID card issued by SJTA along with photo ID Card like Aadhaar, Voter ID Card, etc.

Entry of non-servitors devotees accompanying the Sevak family members, if any, will not be allowed, it clarified.

The COVID-19 situation will be reviewed again for the month of October 2021 or as required.

Police seek feedback from devotees as Jagannath Temple reopens

A day before reopening, the police on Sunday urged devotees to share feedback in order to improve their experience of visiting the 12th-century shrine.

Devotees can submit their feedback on police service at the temple either by submitting a form or through online QR code scanning systems installed at parking lots and other places, police sources said.

“We urge all to give feedback and use this opportunity to further help us in improving the Hassle-Free Darshan Experience for devotees,” the Puri Police said on Twitter.

“Detailed briefing of the force and officers has been conducted before reopening the temple,” a police officer said.

Relevance of the Jagannath Temple

The Jagannath Temple is dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Sri Krishna in Odisha's Puri. The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.

The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. The image of Jagannath is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every 12 or 19 years by an exact replica. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.

The temple is sacred to all Hindus, and especially in those of the Vaishnava traditions. Many great Vaishnava saints, such as Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Vallabhacharya and Ramananda were closely associated with the temple.

Ramanuja established the Emar Mutt near the temple and Adi Shankaracharya established the Govardhan Math, which is the seat of one of the four Shankaracharyas. 

It is also of particular significance to the followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2021 | IN PICS