Devotees are a dejected lot after the doors of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri were shut for them for the second time in the last one year. While the first closure lasted an unprecedented nine months, the latest, announced on April 24, is set to continue for at least 20 days until May 15. The Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the agency that looks after the affairs of the 12th-century shrine took the decision in consultation with various ‘nijogs’ (servitor groups) after over two dozen priests tested positive during the second wave of the Covid pandemic.
The rationale behind the date chosen is that the construction of the chariots along with the bathing ritual of the deities—Snana Yatra—begin on Akshyaya Tritiya (May 15), setting off preparations for the Rath Yatra, the grand spectacle that draws lakhs of devotees from across the world every year. The idea behind shutting the doors of the temple until then is to protect the servitors, who would engage in the elaborate rituals leading up to the Rath Yatra, from getting infected. “Ensuring that they are in good health is of utmost importance for the smooth and hassle-free conduct of the Rath Yatra,” says SJTA chief administrator Dr Krishan Kumar.
Last year, uncertainty prevailed until the very end over the Rath Yatra, before the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead barely a day before the marquee event, for the Yatra to take place without devotees. Keeping devotees out until May 15 is part of the temple administration’s efforts to ensure there is no uncertainty about the Rath Yatra this time.
At a meeting with the ‘nijogs’ on April 24, it was also decided to constantly monitor the health of all servitors and their family members, vaccinate them and provide prompt medical care to those found positive. Those with serious symptoms will be shifted to Covid hospitals in state capital Bhubaneswar and the temple administrator (development) will be the nodal officer to facilitate this.
With the number of fresh positive cases rising alarmingly in the pilgrim town over the past few days, the Puri district administration has also banned cremation of the deceased from outside the district at the Swarga Dwara, the preferred creation site for most Odias who have lost their near and dear ones. Even those from the district will have to produce certificates on the cause of death before cremation is allowed.
By Sandeep Sahu in Bhubaneswar
