Final Decision On Puri Rath Yatra After Meeting With Shankaracharya This Evening

Puri: Gajpati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb and chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Krishan Kumar will meet Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati at 7 pm on Friday to decide on the celebration of this year’s Rath Yatra here.

This was decided at the Puri Jagannath Temple Management Committee meeting which lasted for over two hours.

Social distancing norms amid COVID-19 outbreak prohibit large crowds and this can become a challenge during the festival. 

“There is no question of stopping any rituals of Lord Jagannath. A final decision regarding Rath Yatra will be taken after a meeting with Puri Shankaracharya in the evening today” informed Ramchandra Das Mohapatra, a member of the committee.

Some members suggested that since there is no positive case in Puri district, the entire area can be sealed and the festival held as usual, sources said.