Bhubaneswar: The famous Puri Srimandir reopened for the general public, non-Puri residents, from today. The administration has said that devotees will have to be fully vaccinated or present a negative RT-PCR report not older than 96 hour. The sanitization procedure of the shrine has been thoroughly done by the fire department. The temple will remain closed every weekend for the same.
The devotees will be allowed to visit the temple 7 am to 7 pm only on weekdays. A queue system will begin from 7 am where the devotees will enter through the barricades opposite to the shoe stand. All devotees will be required to bring their photo ID Card like Aadhaar/ Voter ID etc.
Devotees will leave their belongings at the designated place outside the Temple; produce their ID proof for verification and follow the COVID-19 guidelines of hand sanitization & thermal scanning before entering the Temple. All devotees will enter through Singhadwar. After the Darshan, the exit will be through Uttaradwar.
On the other hand, all the religious institutions including Temples, Churches, Mosques and Gurudwaras in Bhubaneswar also reopened from today. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had issued an official notice regarding the same on August 9 mentioning that the temples will reopen with strict observance of Covid 19 protocols.
However, no devotees shall be allowed into the sanctum sanatorium (Garbha gruha) and there shall be no offerings (Bhoga). More than 25 persons at a time will not be allowed to congregate at any religious institution, stated the BMC notice.
Similarly, all religious places in Bhadrak including Baba Akhandalamani temple and Bhadrakali reopened for public today abiding Covid-appropriate behaviour. The offering of Prasad by devotees or Prasad Sevan inside temples not allowed.
Ms Kalinga