Barricading & single-gate entry in Puri Srimandir multiplies plight of devotees

As the year 2023 nears its end, Srimandir in Puri is witnessing an unprecedented rush of devotees. Thousands of devotees are queuing up in front of the Singhadwara of Srimandir every day since the past couple of weeks to get a glimpse of their beloved Lord Jagannath.

Unfortunately, devotees are subjected to hours of wait in the barricades put up outside the Singhadwara, thanks to the closure of three other gates (Dwara) of the Temple. An old woman devotee reportedly passed urine while standing in the queue for long hours this morning. Similarly, a young devotee fainted while standing in the queue.

As per reports, darshan was halted for some time during Pahili Bhoga ritual which resulted in the queue getting longer and longer. A woman devotee reportedly suffering from high blood sugar could not find a urinal and passed urine standing in the barricade.

“There are no toilets in front of the Singhadwara where lakhs of devotees wait for hours to enter Srimandir. It is really unfortunate and sad to see a woman in this situation,” lamented a devotee.

A Srimandir Servitor said, “There were two urinals before. But they were shut down and despite our repeated requests no toilets have been made in front of Singhadwara. The absence of a toilet has resulted in a devotee passing urine in front of the Singhadwara in the queue. All the other devotees stepped on it and entered the Srimandir making it unholy. This is really sad and unfortunate incident.

Another servitor cited VIP treatment or preferential treatment a major reason for the unprecedented rush at the Singhadwara. He said, “A lot of people come to Srimandir carrying references from senior government officials and politicians and ask to let them in on a preference. This should be stopped immediately, because everybody is same in front of Lord Jagannath.”

It is pertinent to mention here that only one gate (Singhadwara) of the Srimandir is opened for the devotees to get into the Temple. Other three gates are closed due to the Parikrama Project going on for last two years.