Puri: All four gates of Shree Jagannath temple at Puri were reopened at 6.30 am on Thursday after the ‘Mangal Alati’ ritual in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his council of ministers.
The previous BJD government had kept three out of four gates shut since the COVID-19 pandemic and devotees were allowed to enter through Singhadwara (Lion Gate) while the west gate was opened only for local residents, often leading to overcrowding on the temple premises.
Reopening of the gates was among the decisions taken in first Cabinet meeting of the BJP-led state government. It was also a key promise in the the party’s election manifesto.
Sharing pictures of the four gates, Puri MP Sambit Patra extended his heartfelt gratitude to the CM and members of his Cabinet for keeping the promise and the reopening of them within 24 hours of the swearing-in of the newly-elected government. “I am very happy that now all the devotees will be able to have darshan of Mahaprabhu easily. Many congratulations to all the devotees.”