Puri: A day before Snana Jatra at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, when lakhs of devotees are expected to visit the pilgrim town, the district administration on Monday reviewed all arrangements made to ensure the safety of devotees and manage the crowd and traffic.
District Collector Samarth Verma and SP Kanwar Vishal Singh reviewed the arrangements for the ceremony.
After a gap of two years, devotees will be allowed darshan of Lord Jagannath and His sibling deities during Snana Jatra. Devotees will not be charged for the darshan. However, there will be parimanik (paid) darshan during Pahandi of the deities from Ratna Bedi to Snana Bedi.
Barricades have been put up on Bada Danda (Grand Road) from Market Square. About 50 platoons of police force will be deployed to enforce law and order.
Check the traffic restrictions for tomorrow (June 14)
> ‘No-vehicle zone’ from Marichikot Chhak to Jaga Balia lodge in Dolamandap Sahi
> Buses arriving from Bhubaneswar and Konark will be allowed till the bus stand
> Buses plying inside the city will be allowed up to Medical Square
> There will be designated areas on Bada Danda to park two-wheelers
> Light vehicles, including cars, will be allowed parking at Jagannath Ballabha mutt, Sharadhabali, Blue Flag beach and Digabareni parking lot
No darshan of deities till 2 pm today
Devotees won’t be allowed darshan of Lord Jagannath and His sibling deities at the Jagannath Temple till 2 pm on Monday in view of the secret ‘Senapata Lagi’ rituals. The ritual is being performed by servitors since early morning.
During the ritual, which is performed a day before Snana Jatra, Daitapati servitors apply a paste made from Baula Katha (piece of wood of Baula tree) on the bodies of the deities.
Mangala Alati and other rituals will be performed once Singhadwara (main gate) opens after 2 pm.
