Odisha: Devotees can have darshan of Lord Jagannath at Snana Mandap

Bhubaneswar : After a gap of two years, devotees will be allowed to have darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings at Snana Mandap in Puri temple on the occasion of Snana Purnima, officials said on Tuesday.This decision was taken at the meeting of the temple management committee held under the chairmanship of Puri king Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb here on Tuesday.Notably, the devotees were barred from having darshan of the deities for two consecutive years on account of Covid-19 pandemic.

The Rath Yatra was also held without participation of devotees during 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.Speaking to reporters after the meeting, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), V.V. Yadav said: “We are making all arrangements so that devotees can avail smooth darshan of Lord Jagannath during the Snana Purnima and all other rituals, when devotees were allowed during earlier years.

“This year, the devotees can get a glimpse of Hati Besa of the deities after the ceremonial bath at the Snana Mandap inside the temple complex. The Snana Purnima is scheduled to be held on June 14.

About three hours will be given to the devotees to have darshan. However, the devotees cannot touch the deities at Snana Mandap, said a member of the management committee.Yadav further said that the committee has finalised the schedule for different rituals starting from Snana Purnima to Niladri Bije.Besides, a detailed discussion was held on registration of a society for establishment of Gurukul for the children of servitors. An MoU will be signed with Birla Foundation for this purpose, he added.