Puri Temple Tickets in Different Colours

Dec 27, 2013 — JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — To streamline the sale of Parimanik tickets at Jagannath Temple in Puri, the shrine administration has decided to sell the tickets in different colours. Parimanik ticket holders are allowed to go inside the sanctum sanctorum every day, even as devotees can catch glimpse of the Deities free of cost by standing outside the sanctum sanctorum.

Just as the 'paid' darshan facility is available eight times a day, the tickets will be available in eight different colours for separate time schedules. Each Parimanik ticket costs Rs 25. The move to sell the proposed colourful tickets is aimed at curbing the menace of black-marketing by some unscrupulous priests and their assistants in the temple.

"At present the tickets are available in a single colour. Touts are purchasing the tickets in large numbers and selling to the devotees at exorbitant prices throughout the day. If we print the tickets in different colours, black-marketing can be checked," temple's Chief Administrator, Arvind Padhee said. "If possible, we will also introduce bar coding on the tickets to prevent tampering," Padhee said.

The temple sells nearly four hundred Parimanik tickets on a given day. The sale of tickets touches nearly two thousand on peak days, sources said. There is no limitation on the sale of tickets right now.

"We will ensure that only Parimanik ticket-holders gain entry inside the sanctum sanctorum. There were complaints in the past about entry of devotees, who paid the money directly to priests. We will stop it," Padhee said.

Though the Temple Administration had in 2011 planned to restrict the entry of pilgrims into the sanctum sanctorum, it was forced to drop its plan owing to stiff opposition by priests. Temple officials said an overcrowded sanctum sanctorum often led to inordinate delay in completion of rituals of the presiding sibling Deities. The administration wanted to enforce the restriction in compliance with the recommendations by the Justice P.K. Mohanty inquiry commission that was set up to probe the November 4, 2006 stampede inside the Jagannath Temple. The commission then found that the stampede stemmed from the heavy presence of pilgrims in the sanctum sanctorum. Four pilgrims were killed and scores injured in the mishap.

To streamline the crowd, there was even a proposal in 2010 to hike the Parimanik ticket from Rs 25 to Rs 250 to dissuade pilgrims from entering the sanctum sanctorum, but to no avail. 

 http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/news/12-13/news5189.htm