NE NEWS SERVICE
PURI, JULY 4
The Odisha government on Saturday said that the annual Ratha Yatra festival will be held this year without gathering of devotees, and they will not be allowed to even watch the rituals from the rooftops along the route of the chariots.
Speaking to reporters, Puri’s District Magistrate Samarth Verma said the administration has revised its decision, restricting public viewing of the Ratha Yatra festival from the rooftop of houses and hotels.
A curfew will be clamped in Puri town a day before the festival on July 12 and the restrictions will remain effective till the next afternoon, he said.
କୋଭିଡ଼ ମହାମାରୀକୁ ଦୃଷ୍ଟିରେ ରଖି ପ୍ରତି ରବିବାର ଦିନ ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିରକୁ ନିୟମିତ ଭାବେ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ବିଶୋଧନ ବା ସାନିଟାଇଜ କରିବା ପାଇଁ ପ୍ରଶାସନ ପକ୍ଷରୁ ବ୍ୟାପକ ବ୍ୟବସ୍ଥା ଗ୍ରହଣ କରାଯାଇଛି ।@JagannathaDhaam pic.twitter.com/J1ca6NrKvc
— Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri (@SJTA_Puri) July 4, 2021
Verma said the festival of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath was being organised without the participation of devotees for a second year in a row, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He urged the people of the holy town to witness the live broadcast of the festival on television as others.
ସନାତନ ଓ ନିତ୍ୟନୂତନ, ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିରର ଧ୍ୱଜା ପରିବର୍ତ୍ତନ | ଜୟ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ | pic.twitter.com/xVZM5GKVZv
— Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri (@JagannathaDhaam) July 3, 2021
Verma along with Superintendent of Police KV Singh toured the 3-kilometer-long grand road during the day to take stock of the preparations.
ତିନି ରଥର ହଂସ ପଟା, ସଖୀ, ପାର୍ଶ୍ୱ ଦେବା ଦେବୀ, ସାରଥୀ, ରଥରେ ସଂଯୋଗ ହୋଇଥିବା ଚାର ପରିଛା, ପଟାଗୁଜ ଗୁଡିକରେ ରଙ୍ଗ କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ ଜାରୀ ରହିଛି ।@JagannathaDhaam #JaiJagannatha #RathaNirman#RathaJatra21 pic.twitter.com/FWGUqkEUKS
— Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri (@SJTA_Puri) July 3, 2021
There are 230 residential houses, and 41 hotels and lodges on both sides of the grand road, Singh said. People may congregate on rooftops to witness the festival but the administration has decided to restrict such gatherings too, he said.
https://twitter.com/SJTA_Puri/status/1411335293672718340
Hotels and lodges have been directed not to take bookings from two days prior to Ratha Jatra, he said. All roads leading to Puri will be sealed before the festival and people from across the state and the country are requested not to visit the holy town, the police officer said.
Meanwhile, after holding a meeting with the Chhattisa Nijog (apex body of servitors), Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Krishan Kumar said that only Covid-negative servitors will be allowed to pull the chariots this time.
“Neither police personnel nor the officials will be allowed to touch the ropes used for pulling the chariots,” he said.
The police personnel will be allowed to pull the chariots before they are pulled on the return car festival, Kumar said. The servitors will be provided with sanitisers, masks, napkins, medicines, glucose and ORS during pulling of the chariots, he said.
A few selected servitors will be allowed to be seated on the chariots when they are pulled, he said. Further, the servitors’ body has agreed to allow the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake laser scanning of the ‘Ratna Simhasan’ (the seat of the Lords) in the sanctum sanctorum and other places in the shrine when the deities are taken out for the festival, Kumar said.
“As the ASI does not have access to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple during the remaining period of the year, a comprehensive documentation of the ‘Ratna Simhasan’ through laser scanning will be done during this time,” ASI’s Assistant Superintendent Chitta Ranjan Das said.
The objective of the documentation is to record the condition, geometry, carvings, sculptures and statues of the ‘Ratna Simhasan’, he said.
This will enable the ASI to prepare a detailed drawing of the ‘Ratna Simhasan’ for repairs, if necessary in the future, he added. The ASI has already started the process to install lights in a sequence on the Jagannath temple premises.
“The estimated cost of the lightning project is Rs 1.5 crore. It will be completed in three months,” Das said.
