Koraput : The ticketing system for darshan at the famous Shaivite shrine Gupteswar Temple has been discontinued. This was officially informed today to the media by Koraput District Collector V. Keerthi Vasan at Baipariguda.
Earlier, a tender-based system had been implemented for issuing darshan tickets at Gupteswar Temple. While the tender period was set to end on June 24 this year, the endowment department has clarified that no new tender has been initiated thereafter.
Previously, devotees were not allowed entry through the main gate of Gupteswar Temple without a ticket. Thousands of devotees from across Odisha, as well as neighboring states like Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, regularly visit the temple for darshan.
However, while such entry ticket systems are not in place at most major pilgrimage sites in Odisha, the implementation of a ticket system in Gupteswar Temple—located in a tribal-dominated area of Koraput district—had been facing growing opposition. Several voluntary organizations, Hindu groups, and intellectuals from Baipariguda had repeatedly protested against the ticketing system and lodged complaints in different forums.
Taking into account public concerns and complaints, the district administration has now discontinued the darshan ticket system at Gupteswar Temple.