Jagannath Temple reopens for Puri urban area locals

Bhubaneswar: The Jagannath Temple reopened for the residents of Puri urban area on Monday. They have been allowed to offer prayers inside the temple until August 20.
In the wake of the second Covid wave, the 12th century shrine had been shut for devotees since April 24. The servitors and their family members were the first ones to be allowed to enter the temple on Thursday and Friday.
“I am falling short of words to express my feelings on having a darshan of the deities after not being allowed to participate in many festivals, including the Rath Yatra,” Pradosh Tripathy, a resident of Puri town, said.
The temple will reopen for all the devotees, irrespective of place of residence, from August 23. The devotees must either show their RT-PCR negative reports obtained 96 hours before their visit or the final vaccination certificates for a hassle-free access to the temple. The temple will remain closed on all Saturdays and Sundays in view of the weekend shutdown in Puri. The devotees can have a darshan from 7am until 7pm on the weekdays.
The shrine will also remain shut on major festive occasions to avoid large congregations. According to the SOP issued last week, the Jagannath Temple will be closed for the devotees on Janmashtami, which falls on August 30 and also on Ganesh Chaturthi on September 10.
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