Odisha: Puri temple priests to be paid more

BHUBANESWAR: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration in Puri has decided to double the remuneration of servitors in view of their economic hardship due to closure of the shrine following a surge in Covid cases.
Though the temple has been shut for devotees from April 24, the daily rituals continue to be performed by the servitors. The temple administration had announced to close the temple till May 15, but the state government a few days ago declared closure of all religious places across the state as part of the two-week lockdown from May 5 to May 19.
“We will double the remuneration of servitors on the basis of their services. They will get the benefit from April 1, 2021 with retrospective effect,” temple’s administrator (development) Ajay Jena told TOI.
Sources said at least 2,200 servitors render services in the temple round the year. While some of them offer services daily, there are others, who perform their duties on some specific days in a year. Every day, nearly 80 servitors are required to perform around 20 rituals in the shrine. Servitors are paid as per the number of days they are assigned to perform the rituals. Sources said servitors are paid between Rs 500 and Rs 2,500 per day.
In the wake of Covid outbreak last year, the temple administration had provided financial assistance of Rs 20,000 (in four instalments) each to the families of the servitors following closure of the temple for several months.
Servitors said their income has been squeezed in several ways since 2014 when the temple administration banned the access of pilgrims onto chariots during the annual Rath Yatra.