Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) is likely to reintroduce the ‘Paramanik darshan’ (ticketed darshan) of Lord Jagannath and his siblings at the Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri a gap of seven years. However, the SJTA will also continue with the existing free darshan system.
Following a meeting of the SJTA financial sub-committee meeting, the temple administrator Ranjan Kumar Das told the media that they will prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) before taking a final decision on reintroducing Paramanik darshan.
The Paramanik darshan system was abandoned in January 2016 after devotees were banned from entering the sanctum sanctorum during the repair of the Jagamohan. After preparing the SOP, the SJTA will place it before the committee and servitor nijogs for approval. “We will consult representatives of all nijogs (association of servitors) and prepare a standard operating procedure before reintroducing the Paramanik darshan system,” he said.
Earlier, the SJTA took a fee of Rs 50 for a special Paramanik darshan of the Holy Trinity inside the sanctum sanctorum. Devotees have since been catching a glimpse of the deities free of cost by standing at “bahara” and “bhitara katha” areas (at a distance from the garbha gruha).
In the meeting held on Thursday, the SJTA also decided to put up donation boxes at four locations on the shrine premises – Ghanteswari temple near Singhadwara, Paschima Dwara, Uttara Dwara and Nabagraha Kona near Laxmi temple, and install television sets in all rooms of four Bhakta Niwas – Neelachal Niwas, Niladri Niwas, Gundicha Niwas and Purushottam Niwas.
