TNI Bureau: Good News for devotees of Lord Jagannath! The Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri will reopen in the second or third week of December, informed the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Krishan Kumar today.

Special standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be formulated to ensure that the devotees will be able to have darshan by adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Devotees visiting the Shree Jagannath Temple will have to follow the SOPs.

A committee comprising of SJTA Chief, the Puri SP and Collector will also decide on the number of devotees allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Jagannath Temple.

Speaking on the Nagarjuna Besha of the deities to be held on Friday, Kumar said a 3-layer security arrangement will be made at the temple during the event. Action will be taken if anyone other than the servitors attempts to enter the temple.

Worth mentioning that the Jagannath temple is closed for devotees since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.