Odisha Fights Corona: No Harm If Puri Rath Yatra Is Not Held This Year, Says Mukti Mandap

Puri: Given the uncertainty over the conduct of Rath Yatra here this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a section of priests of the Jagannath temple said there is no harm if the annual festival is not held.

“The Rath Yatra can be held by a limited number of sevayats and the police. To check the footfall of the devotees across and outside the state to witness the festival, all entry points in Puri can be sealed,” Mukti Mandap pundits said in a release on Monday.

“Despite these arrangements, if the festival is cancelled due to unavoidable circumstances, then there is no harm considering the prevailing situation and the follow-up measures taken by the state government. After all, the temple and the deities will remain unaffected if the devotees and the sevayats remain in sound health,” the release added.

The Mukti Mandap pundits, however, said that Gobardhan Peeth Shankaracharya’s advice on this matter will be accepted by one and all.