Puri: All four gates of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri were opened on Thursday morning in the presence of the Council of Ministers. A decision in this regard was made during the first Cabinet meeting of the Mohan Majhi-led BJP government on Wednesday.

The gates were opened during the Mangala Alati ritual, fulfilling the BJP's election promise to make it easier for devotees to enter the temple. The process of opening all four gates began on June 11.

Previously, the temple's gates were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with only the Singhadwara remaining open afterward. This led to long queues of devotees outside the temple every day.

The CM had yesterday made the announcement about the opening of all gates of the temple.

“The four gates of the shrine will be reopened for the devotees during the Mangala Alati ritual. All ministers will remain present at the temple on the occasion,” he had said after the Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet has also approved a proposal to constitute a corpus fund of Rs 500 crore for the 12th century shrine.