The administration of Puri’s Jagannath temple on Friday announced that the temple will open for the devotees from February 1.
The decision to re-open the temple was taken following a meeting of the chief administrator of the temple with the servitors. However, the temple will continue to remain closed for public darshan on all Sundays to sanitise the temple premises.
Earlier on Thursday, Puri Gajapati, Dibya Singha Deb, scion of the Puri royal family, met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Nivas and discussed various issues, including the temple opening.
The temple remained closed for devotees from January 10 due to a spurt in covid cases across the state. However, following a dip in covid cases, the state government decided to give a go ahead to the temple administration to open the temple, sources said. The state on Friday reported 5,057 new covid cases and 64 217 active cases.
Puri district administration has lifted the restrictions on the cremation of bodies from outside Puri district at Swargadwar, the famous Hindu crematorium in the holy town near the sea beach.
“The restriction imposed on observance of the funeral rites of the deceased belonging to other districts, states at Swargadwar, Puri as well as immersion of ashes at mahodadhi (sea) to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the district is hereby withdrawn in view of decreasing trend of Covid-19 positive cases in the Puri district as as Puri Municipality areas,” said an order issued by the Puri district administration.
The administration had imposed the restrictions on January 7 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Only people belonging to Puri were allowed to cremate their dead at Swargadwar which has religious significance for Hindus who believe that performance of last rites of a person at this crematorium opens the gateway to Heaven.
However, the bodies of only those persons will be cremated who have died for reasons other than Covid-19. The relatives of the deceased will have to submit the required documents to this effect. As per the order, a maximum of 10 people only can accompany the body to Swargadwar for cremation.
