Puri: The Gundicha temple in Puri, near the famous Jagannath temple, reopened for devotees Wednesday after a six-year hiatus, officials said.
The temple doors opened at 7.45 am, after rituals were performed in the presence of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee, they said.
The Gundicha temple had remained closed for the public since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“The public can visit the Shree Gundicha Temple from 6 am to 5 pm every day. While devotees aged 80 years and above and children of 5 years or below can visit free of cost, others have to pay Rs 10 as entry fee. The fee is being collected not for any revenue generation, but for regulatory expenses,” Padhee told reporters.
However, no fee will be collected from devotees for the first three days from September 30, he said.
The temple administration, district administration, and Puri Police have made all ancillary arrangements for the convenience of devotees, the officials said.
The Gundicha temple, where the idols of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath are kept for seven days every year during the Rath Yatra, is located around 2.6 km from the 12th-century main shrine.
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