‘Snana yatra’ to be held with no devotees, but live telecast

JAMSHEDPUR: The Jamshedpur chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) on Thursday said the ‘snana yatra’ (bathing ritual) of the deities, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra on Friday will be conducted within closed doors of the temple and the event will be telecast live on local cable TV networks.
Other temples in and around Jamshedpur and East Singhbhum district said no devotees will be allowed during the rituals.The Jharkhand government has not yet granted permission to open temples and places of worship in the state because of the Covid-19 situation.
Iskon said the rituals will start at 3pm and continue till 5pm. A few priests wearing masks and maintaining social distance will perform the rituals, including the tradition of collecting water from Bistupur Ram Mandir and Sakchi Sitala Mandir.
Other temple managing committees also said the ritual will be conducted within the temples without any devotees. Sashi Tiwary, head of the managing committee of Naga Baba Mandir near Beldih golf course said the ritual will start 9am. The Shyamsuder Sai of Jagannath temple in Kashmahal said they will start the ritual at 11am while Baradwari temple will begin at noon.