Bhubaneswar: Srimandir in Odisha’s Puri city will remain closed for devotees for around four hours on July 17 (Monday) for performance of Chitalagi ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.

This was revealed by a senior official of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) today.

“Chitalagi ritual of the sibling deities will be performed tomorrow. The 12th century shrine will remain closed for devotees from 2 pm to 6 pm for this purpose,” said the official.

In another development, Sachetana Nagarik Manch, a voluntary organisation, today launched a signature campaign seeking reopening of all four gates of Srimandir for the devotees.

The outfit has planned to collect at least 1 lakh signatures and approach Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to reopen the four gates of Srimandir for the people. The outfit has also threatened to stage a hunger strike over the issue, sources said.

“Earlier, devotees were allowed to enter and exit Srimandir through its four gates. A few years ago, the SJTA laid a set of new guidelines and asked the devotees to enter the shrine through the Lions’ Gate. The three other gates of the temple were virtually closed for the people. This has caused inconveniences for the devotees as they are being forced to wait in queues to visit the shrine,” said Sachetan Nagarik Mancha convener Prasanna Das.