All Gates Of Puri Jagannath Temple Cannot Be Opened Now: Odisha Minister

Bhubaneswar: All four gates of Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri cannot be opened till completion of the ongoing heritage corridor work, Law Minister Jagannath Saraka told the Assembly on Saturday.

Replying to an unstarred question by Sundargarh MLA Kusum Tete, Saraka informed that all four gates of the 12th-century shrine were closed on March 20, 2020, due to Covid-19 restrictions, and later two were opened to allow entry of devotees. “As the Srimandir Parikrama project is still underway, all gates of the temple cannot be thrown open for devotees at this time,” he said.

Initially, the devotees were allowed to enter the shrine from Singhadwar or the main gate, and the Paschim Dwar (west gate) was opened only for locals in July this year following a growing demand from devotees and political parties alike to allow entry through four gates for the convenience of pilgrims. The north gate is being used for exit purpose.

In August, the temple managing committee also decided to keep the other two gates closed till completion of heritage corridor work, which is expected to be completed by October.