Puri: As devotees seeking entry to the Shree Jagannath temple here will not be required to produce their Covid-19 negative report from tomorrow, the temple administration today issued two sets of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for those seeking darshan of the deities-one for residents of Puri municipal area and another for general darshan in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
The SOP laid down for all devotees is as under:
1. The general Darshan for all the devotees will commence from 7.00 A.M, through a queue starting from the Market Chhak (Square).
2. There will be a separate queue for Senior Citizens and differently-abled devotees, for the Darshan of the Lords.
3. There will be no requirement of producing a COVID-19 negative report for the Darshan of the Lords by the devotees.
4. It is mandatory for all pilgrims to wear masks at all times; inside and outside of the Temple premises.
5. Chewing of Tobacco/ Paan & spitting inside the Temple premises is strictly prohibited.
6. Devotees should sanitize their hands before entering the Temple.
7. Devotees should maintain physical distance at all times as per COVID-19 guidelines.
8. Devotees are requested not to touch the Statues or Idols inside the Temple.
9. It is prohibited to take Flowers/ Bhoga / Deepa inside the Temple. There will be large containers placed at the entrance, where such items can be dropped if being carried by the devotees.
10. There will be no lighting of Deepa’ inside the Temple by the devotees. 11. There will be no partaking (eating) of Mahaprasad inside the Ananda Bazar & Temple premises.
12. Parking of all vehicles will be done only at Jagannatha Ballav Math premises or at any other specifically designated place.
13. All devotees will enter through the Singhadwar and after the Darshan, the exit will be through the Uttaradwar.
14. Temple will remain closed for public Darshan on all Sundays in order to sanitize the Temple premises.
The SOP for darshan of the deities under special arrangements for residents of Puri Municipality area is as under:
1. The Queue system will be open between 06.00 AM to 7:00 AM starting from the entrance of the Jagannatha Temple office.
2. Residents are required to bring the Aadhaar Card/ Voter ID or any other proof of identity for themselves and all the members of the family who are visiting the Temple for Darshan of the Lords.
3. Residents will make entry into the Temple by forming a queue from the front of the Jagannath Temple office; leave their belongings at the designated place outside the Temple; produce their ID proof for verification and follow all other COVID19 guidelines including hand sanitization & thermal scanning before entering into the Temple.
4. All devotees will enter through the Singhadwar and after the Darshan, the exit will be through the Uttaradwar.
5. Post 7:00 AM the Puri residents (municipal limits) may go for darshan of Lords through the general darshan queue, open for all devotees, starting from the Market Chhak (Square).
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has, however, said that terms and conditions laid down in the SOP will be under review from time to time and is subject to change.
The SJTA on January 10 announced that devotees need not produce their Covid-19 negative report for getting entry into the 12th-century shrine from January 21. The decision will remain in force till February 21.
The temple was opened in a phased manner from December 23, 2020. While the servitors and their family members were allowed to enter the temple from December 23 to December 25 evening, the local residents of Puri got the opportunity to have darshan of the deities between December 26 and 31.
The temple was finally opened to the public for darshan of the sibling deities – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath – from January 3, 2021, adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines.
