Puri’s Jagannath Temple to reopen for visitors from August 16

The temple will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays and devotees will be allowed to visit the temple 7 am to 8 pm on weekdays.

Published on: Aug 4, 2021, 20:32:28 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty | Written by Shankhyaneel Sarkar | Edited by Poulomi Ghosh

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The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday decided to reopen the gates of the 12th century Jagannath Temple to devotees from August 16. The administration said that devotees will have to be fully vaccinated or present a negative RT-PCR report not older than 96 hours.

Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra being worshipped in Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. (ANI File Photo)

However, SJTA chief administrator Krishan Kumar said that devotees from the rest of the country will be allowed to visit the temple after August 23. The temple will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays and devotees will be allowed to visit the temple 7 am to 8 pm on weekdays.

The move comes after Odisha allowed the reopening of religious institutions with appropriate Covid-19 restrictions from August 1. The meeting was attended by SJTA chief administrator Krishan Kumar and Puri's magistrate-cum-collector, superintendent of police, chief district medical officer and members of the temple coordination committee. Temples and religious places in several districts including Cuttack, Koraput, Sambalpur and Balasore will open for devotees from August 5.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik while addressing a press conference also warned people against complacency and asked people to follow Covid-19 preventative measures in order to prevent the third wave of Covid-19.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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