Puri Jagannath Temple To Remain Open For Darshan On Saturdays

In a recent update, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has announced a set of fresh Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) for the temple opening.

As per new SOP, the famous Jagannath Temple in Odisha will now remain open on Saturdays too for the devotees. The temple will only remain closed on Sundays and on public holidays for the sanitisation purpose. The SOP will come into effect on September 13.

Not only this, the darshan timing is also extended by two hours so now devotees will be allowed in the temple for darshan from 7 AM to 9 PM on all days. The administration has said that they’ll not allow the temple to open on major festivals. The decision was taken to avoid any further increase in the number of Coronavirus cases, given the huge gatherings that occur during festivals.

Meanwhile, all the other rules, regulations and restrictions will continue to be in effect. Apparently, to enter the Jagannath Temple, devotees must be fully vaccinated and must carry their COVID-19 vaccination certificate. If a devotee is not fully vaccinated, he.she needs to get a negative RT-PCR certificate. The report must not be older than 96 hours. Wearing a face mask and following social distancing are other major COVID protocols that every devotee needs to follow, whether inside or outside the temple.

The Jagannath temple was reopened on August 16 for devotees. However, the temple was off limits during the weekends because of the weekend curfew. But now that the state is removing the weekend lockdown in Odisha, the administration decided to open the temple on Saturdays also.