Puri: Here is some good news for the Jagannath devotees who are residents of Puri town. The Puri district administration has decided to allow separate entry to the temple from November 1.
The local people of the town can enter the Jagannth temple through Paschim Dwara (West Gate) and exit through Uttara dwara or the North Gate, said Collector Samarth Verma.
However, they will have to follow the COVID-19 protocols mandatory for every visitor to the temple. These include double vaccination, wearing masks, sanitisation and carrying the Aadhaar Card.
It may be mentioned that representatives of 15 public outfits met the Collector and apprised him of the inconvenience local devotees face. They urged Verma to reopen all the four doors of Srimandir for local devotees as many do not take their food without having a darshan of the deities during the holy month of Kartik.
Till now, all visitors to the Jagannath temple have to enter the premises from Simhadwara and exit through Uttara Dwara which led to inconvenience for the locals, specially senior citizens, who do not take their food without a darshan of the deities.
Sri Jagannath Sena, however, resented the temple administration decision to open the westside door for entry and northern door (Uttar Dwar) for exiting as very painful for Puri residents.
Sena convenor Priya Darshan Patnaik said those who enter the temple through the west gate will have to keep their shoes at Paschim Dwar and come back through the northern door and again go back to westside to collect the shoes. “Those who have an idea about the temple know how difficult it is to go from one end to another,” added Patnaik.
Also Read: Puri Residents Seek Introduction Of Citizenship Passes For Hassle-Free Entry To Jagannath Temple
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