Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the rituals of the sibling deities for Snana Jatra on June 5.
Briefing the media after a meeting with the Chhattisha Nijog (sevayat bodies) in the afternoon, SJTA chief administrator Krishan Kumar said that the Pahandi (procession) of the Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will be held between 1 am and 4 am while the Snana rituals will be performed between 7.30 am and 9.30 am. This will be followed by the Chhera Panhara ritual at 10.30 am, Hati Besha (elephant attire) between 11 am and 12 pm and Bahuda Pahandi between 5 pm and 8 pm.
Admitting that it would be difficult to stick to social distancing norms during the Pahandi of the Lords, Kumar said the meeting decided to adopt alternative arrangements.
About the number of sevayats to be engaged for Snana Jatra, he said that the temple administration has asked the Nijog to submit a list of the minimum number of sevayats in two days. “After receiving the list, a final decision will be taken at temple managing committee meeting on May 30. Permission will be given to the sevayats to perform different rituals of the Lords,” he said.
The sevayats to be engaged in Snana Jatra will undergo the mandatory COVID-19 test, he added.