Puri: To streamline the flow of devotees to Shree Jagannath Temple after opening of its four gates, the shrine administration is planning to introduce slot booking for darshan of the sibling deities in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri.
Speaking to a local channel, Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deba said the proposal for online registration of slots for entering the shrine is in a nascent stage. “It will be effective in managing the influx of visitors to the temple. It will also help reduce the waiting time, which sometimes extends to 3 hours, and allow devotees to explore other places in the city after choosing a specific time for darshan,” he said.
Explaining further, he said there is a need regulate the flow of devotees, as their number has increased after COVID-19 and inauguration of Parikrama Prakalpa, through the four gates of the 12th-century shrine. “During the previous regime, there was a proposal to set up a huge reception centre near the temple, which would accommodate 2000-3000 devotees, will all facilities including cloak room. The National Monuments Authority has also given a green light to it. They will then be let in after screening to avoid rush inside the temple,” he said.
The Gajapati said the other proposal is slot-wise entry into the shrine. “We have given a proposal for developing a mobile app that will allow devotees to reserve darshan slots in advance but it is yet to be finalised. You can book a slot using your mobile phone. Suppose, you want a slot at 10 am but because of the rush, you are given 1 pm slot. You can visit other places in the meantime and enter the reception centre at the given time. From there, the devotees can then proceed for darshan,” he added.
Sources in the newly-formed BJP government said that they are aware of the proposals and will consult the stakeholders before taking a final call.