Puri: Donations at the Jagannath temple here did not even cross one lakh mark Monday evening, thanks to the COVID-19 scare. There were no gold or silver either in the donation box.
The poor offering has been ascribed to the restrictions imposed at the temple Monday in the wake of COVID-19 fear. The Jagannath temple witnessed a substantial fall in the number of devotees Monday.
On normal days, devotees drop coins, currency notes, gold and silver into the donation box. Some even drop clothes. Every evening these offerings are counted at the Shree Jagannath Temple Administrator’s branch office on the temple premises.
Then the SJTA makes the total amount of donation public. While the donation goes more than Rs 2 lakh on any normal day, the same touches Rs 4/5 lakh on festival days. Everyday some amount of gold or silver is donated by devotees in the donation box.
But Monday evening there was a departure and the count did not even touch one lakh mark. There was no gold or silver in the donation box either. According to SJTA, the temple received donation of Rs 98, 872.
PNN