Puri: The Paschima Dwara (West Gate) of the Shree Jagannath Temple here reopened for the people of Puri, today. The gate was kept closed since the outbreak of COVID-19 virus in 2020.

The residents of the Holy City can enter the 12th century shrine through the West Gate by producing their identity proof, said Puri district Collector Samarth Verma.

Notably, devotees, locals and several people’s representatives had earlier urged the state government and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to reopen all the four gates of Srimandir to ensure smooth darshan of the deities.

Earlier, devotees were allowed to enter and exit Srimandir through its four gates. A few years ago, the temple administration 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 closed for the people. This had caused inconvenience for the devotees as they were waiting in queues to visit the shrine, said a local.