Puri: The timing of the daily flag changing (Dhwaja Bandha) ritual at Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri has been rescheduled from sunset to 3-4 pm as part of measures to tackle evening rush of devotees during Panchuka.
Heavy rush of devotees is witnessed inside the temple and near Singhadwar during sunset to watch the Dhwaja Bandha ritual every day, especially in the holy month of Kartika.
Keeping this in mind, the Shree Jatannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has directed the servitors concerned to complete Dhwaja Bandha by 3:30 pm for the next week.
Sources said the SJTA has sought cooperation from Chunara servitors who perform the ritual every day and stressed that no exceptions will be allowed. Separate office arrangements have been made for the servitors concerned.
Welcoming the decision, a Chunara servitor said that they used to carry out the Dhwaja Bandha ritual at 5 pm. However, the temple administration has given instruction to perform the ritual between 3-4 pm.