Opening of all gates of Puri temple demanded

Puri: Devotees and residents are demanding to open all three gates of Sri Jagannath temple which were closed during the Covid pandemic. The closure continues even after the end of pandemic.

Sachetan Nagarik Manch convenor Prasanna Kumar Dash, in a letter to the temple administration on Sunday, sought opening of all gates for the devotees.

He said the devotees are alowed to enter the temple only through the Simhadwar which is forcing them to stand in long queue for hours under harsh weather conditions. Devotees are facing a lot of inconvenience and physical stress, Dash said.

Earlier, devotees were free to enter and exit through all four gates. The matter was discussed in the temple managing committee meeting. The temple management and the administration had assured to open the gates after Rath Yatra.

The temple has four gates in four directions including the Lions’ Gate, the main entrance. While devotees residing around the temple were using South, North and West gates, now they have to come to main gate.