Puri Rath Yatra: Senior Sevayat Suggests All Daitapatis Be Tested For Coronavirus

Puri: Amid the uncertainty over the Rath Yatra in Puri, scheduled on June 23, following the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a senior sevayat of the Shri Jagannath temple has suggested that samples of all Daitapati sevayats associated with the rituals of the Lords during the festival be tested.

Talking to the media here on Saturday, member of the Jagannath Temple Managing Committee Rama Chandra Dasmahapatra said as the rituals of the Lords, especially the Pahandi Bije (procession of the Lords from the temple to the chariots), cannot be performed in accordance with social-distancing guidelines, it should be mandatory for the Daitapati sevayats in charge of the Pahandi Bije rituals to undergo the COVID-19 test.

“The temple administration should provide the identity cards to the Daitapati sevayats who test negative,” he pointed out.