Bhubaneswar, Jul 22: The Shree Lingaraj Temple administration in Bhubaneswar has finalized extensive arrangements for the upcoming Shravan month, during which thousands of Bol Bam devotees will offer holy water to Lord Lingaraj and other Shiva temples in Ekamra Kshetra. This year, the sacred month will have four Mondays, considered highly auspicious for Shiva worship.

A preparatory meeting was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Additional District Magistrate and Temple Administrative Officer Ramesh Chandra Jena at the temple office to ensure smooth crowd management and timely conduct of rituals.

To prevent delays in the daily temple rituals, the administration has decided to reduce the duration of Sahana Mela darshan by one hour on all Mondays of Shravan. The temple will open at 3 a.m., and after Mangala Alati, Abakasha and other preliminary rituals, devotees carrying holy water will be allowed to perform Jalalagi and have Sahana Mela darshan from 4 a.m. The darshan will conclude at 11 a.m., after which the temple premises will be cleaned and the remaining daily rituals will continue.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will undertake cleaning and illumination of the Bindu Sagar ghats, while WATCO will provide temporary toilets and drinking water facilities. The BMC Hospital will set up first-aid services, and fire personnel will be stationed at key ghats around Bindu Sagar.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will install barricades inside the temple complex and arrange queue management near the Jalalagi area, while the Works Department will handle barricading outside the temple. Police personnel will oversee orderly movement of devotees, and all concerned departments will receive separate instructions regarding their responsibilities.

The meeting also discussed a proposal to increase the Jalalagi fee for Kanwariyas from ₹10 to ₹20 to boost temple revenue. Although the proposal was first approved during last year's preparatory meeting, it has not yet received the Trust Board's approval. The same proposal has been reiterated this year, but it will only come into effect if approved by the Trust Board before August 3.

Among those present at the meeting were ACP Krushna Chandra Palei, ASI officials, Badu Nijog Secretary Kamalakanta Badu, Brahmin Nijog Secretary Hemadri Mahapatra and temple staff. Pujapanda Nijog members were absent, with Secretary Sachikanta Pujapanda stating that they could not attend the meeting due to heavy rain.