Covid-19 virus has infected a large number of people in Puri till now but it has reached to Jagannath Temple too, at least 351 servitors and 53 employees of Shree Jagannath Temple here have tested positive for COVID-19, an official said.
A total of 404 persons engaged in the 12th century shrine have tested positive for the virus, said Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) administrator Ajay Jena.
He said the Lord Jagannath”s rituals, however, are continuing as usual despite the absence of so many servitors.
The Jagannath temple is closed for devotees since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The official said as most of the servitors are in home isolation after testing positive for the infection and there is a shortage of knowledgeable people to perform rituals.
At least a group of 13 priests each are required to perform rituals for the sibling deities – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath. Therefore, the presence of 39 priests apart from other servitors are essential to perform daily rituals of the oldest Lord Vishnu Temple here, who is being worshipped since ages in the form of Lord Jagannath.
The uniqueness of the Puri temple is that rituals are interconnected with each other, they start from early hours till late in the night. If one ritual is not performed, next one could not be performed as per the temple tradition, said Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in Jagannath culture.
If more number of servitors test positive for the virus in the coming days, there might be a problem. The administration is considering a proposal to engage junior servitors, he said.
