Tension at Jagannath Temple Over New Queue System, Darshan Hit

Puri: Tension prevailed at the Shree Jagannath Temple on Sunday after a disagreement broke out between temple servitors and security personnel over a newly introduced queue arrangement for devotees. The incident occurred near the Sata Pahacha, a crucial passage used for darshan inside the Srimandir.

According to sources, the Special Security Force (SSF) deployed at the temple introduced a single-line queue system below the Sata Pahacha to regulate the movement of devotees. However, the decision was reportedly taken without prior consultation with the servitors, triggering strong objections from them.

The servitors argued that the new arrangement violated long-established temple customs and traditional darshan procedures. What began as a disagreement soon escalated into a heated exchange, with eyewitnesses reporting pushing and jostling between the two sides. The situation led to brief chaos in the area, causing inconvenience to devotees present at the time.

As a mark of protest, the servitors temporarily stopped darshan through the Sata Pahacha route, bringing movement in that section of the temple to a standstill. They maintained that any changes to darshan arrangements must be made in consultation with the temple administration and servitors, who are traditionally responsible for conducting rituals.

Temple authorities later intervened to defuse the situation and held discussions with both the servitors and security personnel. Efforts were initiated to restore normalcy, while devotees were urged to cooperate with alternative arrangements until the issue is resolved.