Puri: Stepping up the demand for reopening all four doors of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, a citizen’s organisation has launched a signature campaign in the seaside pilgrim town.
Sources said ‘Sachetana Nagarika Mancha’ plans to collect over one lakh signatures from devotees in support of the reopening of the gates. Thereafter, the letter carrying signatures will be submitted to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to press for the demand.
Devotees are being allowed to enter the 12th century shrine only through the Singhadwara following restrictions imposed in the wake Covid-19 pandemic. The process introduced then is still being followed. It has caused resentment among devotees, particularly local residents, who claim that they are deprived of the daily darshan of the sibling deities in the temple.
Moreover, entry of devotees into the shrine only through the Singhadwar, the Lion’s gate, often causes unprecedented congestion. The situation virtually goes out of control especially on holidays when the devotees have to wait in queue for more than 4-5 hours for darshan. Senior citizens and women find it tough to enter the temple and have darshan.
Stampede-like situations were witnessed on several occasions in recent times due gathering of a very large number of devotees at the temple from different parts of the state and outside.
