All four doors of Srimandir in Puri cannot be opened now, informed Puri district collector Samarth Verma on Friday.
Verma cited the ongoing Srimandir Parikrama project as the major hindrance in opening of all four gates of the Temple.
He said, “It is difficult to make a queue and manage the devotees at the West, North & South gates because there is no sufficient space in front of those gates for the devotees because of the ongoing Parikrama Project.”
“We will take a final decision on reopening all four gates only after the completion of the Parikrama Project. Until then the existing arrangements of entry and exit will continue in Srimandir,” Verma added.
It is pertinent to mention here that under the current arrangements, the devotees are allowed entry into the Srimandir only through the Singhadwara (East Gate) and exit through the North Gate.
The SJTA has however opened the West gate (Paschima Dwara), but only for the local residents of Puri, who will have to show address proof to gain entry into the Temple through the West Gate. They will exit through the North Gate as well.
It is worth mentioning that prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, devotees were allowed to enter the 12th-century shrine from all four gates. During the pandemic, three doors of the temple were shut for the devotees. But even long after the pandemic, devotees are being allowed entry into the shrine through one gate only, resulting in a huge rush.