Efforts underway to reduce impact on Puri temple

Puri: With cyclone Dana rolling towards the Odisha coast, the authorities on Thursday advised devotees against visiting the Jagannath temple in Puri and expedited preparations to minimise the impact of the calamity on the 12th-century shrine.

Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain said the devotees, including those undertaking a month-long ‘Kartik Brata’ ritual, should also be discouraged from visiting the temple as a safety measure. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said all measures were being taken to protect the shrine located in the seaside town while keeping the daily rituals intact.

The administration said measures have been taken to ensure that loose materials like GI sheets, scaffolding tubes and others do not get affected in the gale. According to IMD forecast, Puri district is likely to experience wind at maximum speed of 80 km per hour during the landfall of the severe cyclone Dana early on Friday. The district will also receive heavy rainfall.

To protect the temple from wind and water, the administration has checked its windows and doors to avoid them getting blown away. All the makeshift tents have been removed and sandbags were placed atop asbestos roofs to add weight and save them from getting blown away during the cyclone.

The administration has also ensured that regular devotees from outside Puri are housed in a safe place. Special measures have also been made for elderly women and those who perform the ‘Kartik Brata’. The administration has also taken steps to avoid CCTV cameras getting damaged in the cyclone. Pump and generator sets have been kept ready with other equipment in case of power outage, an official release said.

Apart from Sri Jagannath temple, the district administration and ASI have also taken measures to protect the tourists visiting the 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark. The ASI has closed Konark temple for two days while the district police prevented all tourists from

visiting sea beaches.