Puri: Special arrangements have been made for the visit of President Droupadi Murmu to the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri on February 3, officials said on Monday.
Only the ‘Palia’ Sevayats of the temple will be present inside, and the Puri police will issue special passes to them to ensure a smooth and secure darshan.
According to Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), sevayats who have duties in the Parswadebata (Side Deities) or the Rosasala (kitchen) will enter the temple through the Ashwa Dwara (Horse Gate). The President will first have darshan at the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) of Lord Jagannath and His siblings, and then proceed via Dhukudi Dwara (Southern Gate) to Beheran Dwara, Mukti Mandap, and Vimala Temple to have darshan of Maa Vimala. Chhatisa Nijog members, including the Nijog Nayak, will also be present at Beheran Dwara during the visit.
The high-level meeting to finalise these arrangements was attended by Puri District Magistrate Dibya Jyoti Parida, Puri SP Prateek Singh, Baidyanath Mohapatra—a servitor who has facilitated the President’s temple visits in the past—and other senior officers and representatives of Chhatisa Nijog.
President Murmu will arrive in Puri in the evening of February 3 after visiting Jajpur and Balasore. In Jajpur, she will offer prayers at Maa Biraja Temple and perform rituals at Nabhi Gaya. She will then proceed to Balasore to attend the 12th Convocation Ceremony of Fakir Mohan University before arriving in Puri for the evening darshan at the Jagannath Temple and performing Pind Daan.
On February 4, she is scheduled to offer Pind Daan at Swetaganga at 7 a.m., followed by darshan of Lord Jagannath at 7:40 a.m. The temple will open at 4 a.m. for an orderly darshan, and will be cleaned until 6 a.m. due to security arrangements. No devotees will be allowed inside during the President’s visit. After completing her darshan, the President is expected to depart from the temple at around 8:20 a.m.
