Odisha's new BJP government keeps its promise, opens all four gates of Jagannath Temple in Puri

Odisha's newly sworn-in BJP government fulfilled one of its election promises in its first few days and reopened Shree Jagannath Temple's all four gates in Puri on Thursday (June 13).

The government decided to reopen the gates of the temple in its first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (June 12).

After the gates were reopened, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi, along with his ministers, Puri MP Sambit Patra, Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi and other leaders visited the temple.

Speaking to news agency ANI, CM Majhi said, "We had proposed to open all four gates of Jagannath Temple in yesterday's cabinet meeting. The proposal was passed, and today at 6:30 am, I, along with my MLAs and Puri MP (Sambit Patra), attended the 'Mangala aarti'... For the development of the Jagannath Temple and for other works, we have proposed a fund in the cabinet. When we present the next state budget, we will allot a corpus fund for temple management."

Which four gates of the temple were reopened and why were they closed till now?

The four gates of the temple which were opened are - Simhadwara (Lion Gate), Ashwadwara (Horse Gate), Vyaghradwara (Tiger Gate), and Hastidwara (Elephant Gate). These gates are situated on the four sides of the temple.

During the Covid pandemic, all the doors of the temple were closed. After the gates were closed, the devotees were allowed entry into the temple through Simhadwara. However, other gates remained closed which led to a huge rush and long queues.

Among all the promises, the opening of Jagannath Temple's gates was the biggest one made by the BJP.

Watch:India Election Results: BJP set to form government in state of Odisha

The devotees, who had been demanding the re-opening of all gates of the temple to ensure the revered idol's smooth darshan, welcomed the decision.

Speaking to ANI, Odisha minister Suryabanshi Suraj said, "During the elections, we had said that we would reopen all 4 gates... All four gates of the temple are going to be opened today. All members of the Council Ministers are present here. The CM is also present... A corpus fund worth Rs. 500 crores has also been announced for development projects... We took the oath yesterday and we are opening the gates today."

The Odisha cabinet also approved a new policy for farmers in which a minimum support price (MSP) for paddy was set atRs 3,100 ($37.10) per quintal and this will be implemented in the next 100 days.

BJP's Mohan Charan Majhi took the oath as the chief minister of Odisha on Wednesday (June 12).

(With inputs from agencies)