Puri: Marking the beginning of the annual Rath Yatra of Lords Balabhadra, Jagannath and Devi Subhadra, the Snana Purnima rituals will be conducted amidst tight security and discipline at Puri on Friday. The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has completed all preparations for the festival.
The temple administration has taken initiatives after discussion with servitors for smooth and timely conduct of the festival.Temple sources said arrangements have been made for a three-tier security system to ensure that devotees get Darshan from a distance and do not touch the deities during the grand bath ritual of the Trinity.
Necessary arrangements to maintain discipline and facilitate millions of devotees for a Darshan of the deities are being looked into by the SJTA chief, IG Police and district Collector. The entire Srimandir premises would also be under CCTV surveillance.
It may be mentioned here that some devotees had touched the deities on Snana Mandap last year triggering controversy. This year, the devotees would not be allowed to touch the deities during the ritualistic procession of the deities from the Ratna Simhasana to Anasara Pindi. To sensitize the public about this, posters have been put up in four different languages, said SJTA Chief PK Jena.
Darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, however, will be open for public from 7pm to 9.30 pm on the day. Later, the Bahuda Pahandi will be conducted between 10.30 pm and 1.30 am, he added.