Devotees to enter Jagannath temple only through Lion's gate from Nov 2 to 5: Collector

Devotees will be allowed to enter the Shree Jagannath Temple here only through the Singhadwar (Lion's gate) during the 'Panchak' celebrations, an official said on Thursday.

This was decided at the coordination meeting between the civil administration and police ahead of the 'Panchak' (the last five days of the holy month of Kartik), said Puri District Collector Dibyajyoti Parida. He said this time, 'Panchak' falls on four days from November 2 to 5, when lakhs of devotees are expected to visit the temple. Parida said devotees now enter the temple through all four gates, but it has been decided that they will enter the temple through the gate on the east side and can exit from the shrine through three other gates on November 2 to 5 during 'Pachak' celebrations. He said barricades are being erected in front of the temple to manage the crowd and avoid a stampede-like situation. The collector said a dedicated lane is created for 'Habisyali' (elderly women who keep 'brata' all along the Kartik month and stay in Puri). The administration will ensure their smooth darshan inside the temple. He said the temple servitors are exempt from these restrictions, and they can enter the shrine through any gate of their choice. Temple officials said that on the last day of 'Panchak', Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath are adorned with 'Suna Besha' (golden attire). The Puri collector said proper crowd management has also been planned for Gopinath Temple at Sakhigopal, where lakhs of devotees throng on the occasion of 'Radha Pada Darshan' on 'Anla Navmi' in the month of Kartik.