No COVID vaccination certificate required to visit Puri Jagannath Temple from Feb 21

Puri: Final vaccination certificate or RT-PCR negative certificate will not be required to visit Sri Jagannath temple from February 21, Temple chief administrator Krishan Kuymar said.

The decision to lift the restriction for the devotees visiting the temple was taken at the meeting of the Chatisha Nijog, the apex body of the temple servitors.

Sri Jagannath Temple Authority ( SJTA) Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar said the devotees are not required to carry double-dose vaccination certificates to visit the temple from February 21.They are also not required to produce RT-PCR negative certificates to go inside the temple.

Sources said since a majority of people have already administered the double dose vaccinations, the Chatisha Nijog decided to do away with these two certificates for visiting the 12th century shrine from February 21 next.

Chhatisha nijog, the confederation of different servitor bodies of Srimandir in a meeting on Monday had resolved to approach the temple administration to lift these restrictions to facilitate darshan of the Trinity. The servitors pleaded that devotees are deprived of darshan of Mangal arati since the last two years as the temple opens for devotees at 6 AM after observance of Mangal arati every day except Sundays.

Senior servitor Jambeswar Mahasuar on Monday led a delegation of devotees, mostly elderly women and met the district collector. The servitors argued that most of the local devotees and servitor families used to have darshan of Mangal arati of the deities early in the morning as this first ritual of the day is considered holy.

Earlier on Friday a group of lawyers of local bar association urged the collector to ease the restriction to enable devotees to have darshan of deities during mangal arati and allow entry of devotees through all four gates of the temple.

However, Collector Samarth Verma said the standard operating procedure (SOP) formulated by the state government is in force till the end of this month. He said this could be decided in the temple managing body, Chhatisha nijog subject to the approval by the government.

A meeting of Chhatisha nijog and nittee sub committee was held on Monday evening to streamline the nittees and rituals during the visit of President Ramnath Kovind to temple on February 19 next.

The president will be received by the Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, Chhatisa nijog chief Janardan Pattajoshimahapatra and chief administrator Dr.Krishan Kumar on his arrival at the temple gate at about 5 pm and escorted into temple amid tight security.

General devotees will be prohibited to enter Srimandir one hour before the visit of the President. The presidential couple will be guided into the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) of Sri Jagannath temple. They will spend about forty minutes inside the temple.

Earlier devotees are not allowed into Garbhagriha. They are allowed till Bhitarkath area for darshan. (UNI)