News from Puri

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 toilet and passed urine standing in the barricade.

About 30 teams comprising servitors and SJTA officials on Tuesday left for various parts of the country and state to distribute invitation cards. As per official sources, invitation cards will be handed over to religious heads of various shrines across the country.

The controversy surrounding social media influencer Kamiya Jani is getting intense with each passing day. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday demanded an investigation into the entry of Jani into Jagannath temple. 

In view of the crowd, the temple administration has taken several measures to ensure hassle-free darshan for the devotees. Arrangements have been made by the police to control the huge gathering of devotees. CCTV cameras have been installed outside the temple with barricades. Special police and home guards and lifeguards have been deployed for tourists, especially near the beach.

Internationally renowned sand artist and Padma Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik added another feather to his cap by creating the biggest-ever sand sculpture of Santa Claus at Puri beach on Sunday.

Byanjana Dwadashi, a special festival for Lord Sri Krishna, was celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour at the pilgrim city of Puri on Sunday. On the occasion, over 850 traditional dishes were prepared and served to the Lord at mutts and temples.

While attending a golden jubilee function of a school at Gop block of the district, Swain raised questions on the trustworthiness of the EVMs.

A delegation of the SJTA including temple administrator, Ranjan Kumar Das and members of the Srimandir Management Committee, Ashok Mohapatra met the Shankaracharya in Ujjain on Saturday.

As the New Year nears, tourists who are turning in a huge number, are left with the smell of urine, decomposing garbage and broken/unfinished pavements. Moreover, mounds of sand and construction material left on the road blocking pedestrians have also created inconvenience for tourists.

As per reports, the boat developed a technical snag just 1 kilometre away from Janhikuda after leaving the jetty at 1pm.

Upon reaching Puri today, Chirag Chinubhai Patel of Ahmedabad in Gujarat got the two ‘chitas’ weighing about 1.75 kilograms consecrated by the chief of the Chhattisa Nijog Janarddan Pattajoshi and senior Singhari servitor Madhusudan Singhari.

As per reports, a complaint was filed against these four teachers with the Police Crime Branch in 2022 alleging that they submitted fake certificates to get teacher jobs. The Crime Branch with the help of the District Education Officer (DEO) verified their certificates and found them to be fake.

Launching an attack on the block administration, Puri Sadar MLA Jayant Sarangi said that there is no transparency in official work and project implementation while the roots of corruption have been spreading from the block office to the villages.

Devotees and servitors have demanded to ensure smooth and disciplined solemnisation of rituals of the deities on the day. 

As per the priest, there was cash and ornaments which are usually donated by devotees coming to the temple. After stealing valuables from the donation box, the miscreants dumped the box near the kitchen of the temple.