Puri Rath Yatra to be held without devotees!

Bhubaneswar: Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath can be only held if the state government ensures that no devotees are allowed into Puri Bada Danda (grand road), informed Puri Gajapati Dibya Singha Deb on Saturday.

“Puri Srimandir will remain out of bounds for devotees in view of the coronavirus situation. The state government will take a decision on the conduct of the Rath Yatra but it will not be possible to allow devotees to gather near Puri Badadanda in view of COVID19,” the Puri Gajapati said.

A meeting of Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee was held here on Saturday.

He said Snana Yatra rituals will be held inside temple premises at the Meghanad Pacheri with limited number of servitors.

I&PR department will make arrangements for live telecast and webcast of Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra rituals and share the feed with media houses.

“I request devotees to stay safe at home and watch the telecast on TV,” he added.