BHUBANESWAR : Devotees with locomotor disabilities will likely be able to enter the sanctum sanctorum to have ‘darshan’ of the Trinity atop the ‘Ratnasimhasana’ of Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri from this month. The temple management has finalised a set of special provisions for facilitating entry to the sanctum sanctorum for such devotees which has also received the nod of the Chhatisha Nijog.
As per the decision, PwD devotees will be carried to the sanctum sanctorum in specially made wooden chairs that would be carried by volunteers of the temple. The provision will be limited to 20 devotees every day. The devotees will have to book their visits through a website that is currently being developed by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). Besides, they will be required to produce a disability certificate before entry. As per the decision, each devotee can be accompanied by one or two family members.
Temple management officials informed after registering for the visits through the website, the devotees with locomotor disabilities will be assigned a date. “They have to arrive at the senior citizen helpdesk near the Lions Gate where their disability certificates will be checked. From there, the temple volunteers would take them to the north gate (Uttara Dwara) of the shrine in wheelchairs,” an official informed.
From there, the devotees will be seated in specially designed wooden chairs which would be carried to the Ghanti Dwara of the temple by volunteers. In order to prevent mishaps, the devotees will be secured to the wooden chairs with belts. Inside the sanctum sanctorum, the PwD devotees would be taken till the Jaya Vijay Dwara for ‘darshan’ and after it, they would be safely brought back to the Uttara Dwara.
Each PwD devotee will get an opportunity to enter the temple once every two months. “The website is currently being developed and once it’s done, we will facilitate entry of PwD devotees by March second week,” an official said. Owing to demands from differently-abled devotees and rights activists who want to have darshan of the Holy Trinity atop the ‘Ratnasimhasana’, the temple administration had asked the sevayat members of the managing committee to come up with a proposal.
SPECIAL PROVISION
SOP to be put in place by March 2nd week
20 PwD devotees can enter the shrine every day
Visits to be booked online
Devotee can re-book visit to the temple only after two months of the first visit