Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and his disciples would not be allowed to touch the deities on the Snan Mandap during the Snan Yatra rituals to be conducted on Friday, said Daitapati Nijog secretary Premananda Dasmohapatra.
However, he said there would be no problem for them to offer prayers to the deities on the Snan Mandap.
Dasmohapatra said this when asked to comment on the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA)’s restriction on touching the deities.
“We will not be responsible if anyone touches the deities on the Snan Mandap. If anyone sneaks in and touches the deities, police have to take the responsibility,” added Dasmohapatra.
On Wednesday night, the Daita servitors took charge of the deities from the regular priests. The temple administration released the schedule of Dev Snan Purnima ritual of lord Jagannath, His elder brother
Blabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra. This is a major ritual before the annual Rath Yatra of the deities scheduled for June 25.
Meanwhile, SJTA Chief Administrator PK Jena, IG Police Soumendra Priyadarshi and district Collector Arabind Agrawal have assured of necessary arrangements for devotees for a smooth darshan of the deities during the Snan Yatra rituals. The entire Srhreemandir premises would also be under CCTV surveillance.