Bhubaneswar: The famous Lingaraj temple in the capital city of Odisha will reopen for devotees from September 1. Reports said that a consultative meeting with relevant stakeholders of all religious groups was held virtually on August 7 following which it was decided that all the temples of Bhubaneswar within the jurisdiction of BMC will reopen with strict observance of COVID-19 safety protocols.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the devotees in relation with reopening of Lingaraj Temple.
- No devotee shall be allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum (Garbha Griha) of the temple area
- Devotees will be allowed for darsharn from a safe distance only.
- There shall be no offerings like Bhoga, etc in the temple and no offering to the lord shall be accepted by the Sevayats
- Maximum of 100 devotees will be allowed from Singhadwar to Ada- Katha
- BMC will arrange the barricade system outside the temple
- Police team will be deployed around the temple for control and restriction on the movement of the public
- All devotees will have to wear mask and maintain social distancing of six feet from each other appropriately at all times
Kalinga AI