Free Mahaprasad For Devotees At Puri Jagannath Temple Soon: Odisha Law Minister

Bhubaneswar: Devotees visiting Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri will soon be able to get Mahaprasad free of cost with the Odisha government taking necessary steps in this regard.

Giving this information on Sunday, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan told reporters that around Rs 15 Crore will be spent per year for this programme.

He further stated that this facility will not put much financial burden on the government as many devotees are readily extending their assistance for this.

The state government has decided to launch the scheme as whenever devotees return home after the darshan at Puri Jagannath Temple, their family and neighbours eagerly wait for the Mahaprasad.

Regarding inconvenience faced by devotees due to heavy crowd inside the temple, Harichandan said the darshan process will be streamlined made smooth from the month of Margashira – middle of November, this year.

Stating that a new design has been introduced to facilitate smooth darshan of the deities inside the temple, the Minister said that visitors will enter directly from Sata Pahacha and exit through Ghanti Dwara. This system will ensure that all devotees can have a smooth darshan experience. The new system will be implemented after the month of Kartika.

On arrangements for Kartika Brata in Puri, he said Habisyalis will not face any inconvenience in the pilgrim town as the government will ensure their safe return home after having darshan at the temple.