Puri: The holy Kartika Brata will commence from tomorrow. This year, extensive arrangements have been made for the accommodation of 2500 habisyalis. The arrangement includes accommodation, consumption of Mahaprasad and darshan of the shrine. The registered habisyali women have arrived in Puri.
The district administration will welcome the habisyali women and inform them about respective camps where they will stay for about one month to perform the habisha.
Arrangements have been made for the pilgrims to stay at Narendrakona Brundavati Nivas, Old Women’s College Building at Badadanda (the grand road), Bagala Dharmasala and Mochi Sahi Kalyan Mandap. At those places, reception centers, police assistance centers, emergency medical centers, fire safety camps will be opened. Provision has been made for uninterrupted electricity and drinking water supply.
The government will provide free accommodation for one month, one time Mahaprasad per day, darshan of Lord Sri Jagannath and puja of Radha Damoda every day. For the Habisha this year, a total of 3650 devotees had applied online. However, the state government will provide facilities to 25 hundred people out of them.
It is to be noted that to avoid any untoward situation due to crowd in the Srimandira in the holy Kartika month, entry into the temple has been restricted. Devotees are allowed only through the lion gate (Singhadwara) and the west gate (Paschimadwara) of Srimandira.
In view of the crowd of pilgrims during the month of Kartika, this big decision has been taken by the administration of the temple.
Devotees will enter the temple only through the lion gate and west gate. This rule will come into force from tomorrow. Devotees can leave through 3 other gates besides the lion gate. Exit through the Lion Gate is strictly prohibited. However, this provision will not apply to servitors and their family members.
