PURI: The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has released a new set of standard operating procedure (SOP) for devotees which came into effect from Oct 15. As per the new SOP, darshan of the deities in the shrine will begin from 7.00 am and continue till 9.00 pm everyday except on Sundays when the temple will be closed for sanitisation. This apart, the temple will be closed on festivals to avoid gathering of devotees in large numbers. The temple will remain closed for Diwali (November 4), Bada Ekadasi (November 16) and Kartik Purnima (November 19). However, the shrine will remain open for devotees on Kumar Purnima (October 20).
The devotees are required to produce complete vaccination certificate or RT-PCR negative report obtained within 96 hours of visiting the temple. They are also required to furnish Aadhaar or photo ID card at the designated kiosk, wear face mask at all time, sanitise their hands, refrain from touching idols or artefacts inside the temple, maintain social distancing and observe other Covid-19 safety guidelines. Entry to the temple will be allowed in queue through Singhadwar and exit through the North gate.
The devotees are allowed to carry flowers, ‘Tulasi’ and ‘bhog’ into the temple and place them at the designated places, light diyas (earthen lamps) at places designated by the temple administration and buy and partake ‘mahaprasad’ at places earmarked by the temple administration. The temple administration has directed devotees to not carry polythene bags and chew betel and gutkha on its premises. Violation of the directive will attract a penalty of Rs 500 for use of polythene and Rs 100 for tobacco or gutkha.
A separate queue system will be put in place to facilitate entry of differently-abled devotees into the shrine. Apart from this, the shrine administration has advised people aged above 65 years and children below 10 years to avoid visiting the temple. It also urged ‘Habisyalis’ to not come to Puri for observing the month-long ‘Kartika’ brata and observe the fast at their homes. The administration has asked dharmshala and hotel operators to not allow ‘Kartika’ brata observers into their facilities.