Bhuwaneshwar. All four gates of Bhagwan Jagannath mandir in Puri have been reopened for devotees in the presence of newly appointed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his council of ministers.
The three gates of the 12th century shrine, which were closed since the COVID-19 pandemic, were reopened after the ‘Mangal Aarati’ ritual of Bhagwan Jagannath.
The chief minister, his two deputy chief ministers Kanak Varhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, ministers, several MPs and party leaders visited the temple and offered prayers before Bhagwan Jagannath.
They also conducted a ‘parikrama’ around the temple complex. Opening all the gates of Bhagwan Jagannath temple was a key promise in the BJP’s election manifesto.
The previous BJD government had kept three out of four gates shut since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The devotees were allowed to enter through only Singhdwara, while the gates located at the three other sides of the temple remained closed, causing inconvenience to the devotees.
