Pilgrims wait for their turn to enter the temple in Deoghar on Tuesday. Picture by Ajay Kumar Mandal

Deoghar, Aug. 3: Ajit Singh heaved a sigh of relief as he was ushered into the sanctum sanctorum of Baidyanath Temple in a whoosh, much to the envy of other Kanwariyas who stood waiting outside.

Singh was not a VIP or any special guest. The pilgrim from Varanasi just happened to carry a special gate pass, which felicitated direct entry to the sanctum sanctorum. And like Singh, many other devotees availed of this special privilege that comes at a price of Rs 500.

The Baidyanath Temple management committee started the system of distributing gate passes, on the lines of Tirupati, today for those pilgrims, who want to avoid waiting in the serpentine queues.

“A person has to cough up Rs 500 for the gate pass. We will distribute 1,000 passes from Tuesday to Sunday on a first-come-first-serve basis,” said deputy commissioner-cum-secretary of the committee, Mast Ram Meena.

“We will allow the pass-holders to directly enter the temple in batches and at an interval of two hours. The batch strength will depend on the rush,” said Mithilash Jha, in-charge of the temple.

He added this system would be effective from Tuesday to Sunday only. On Mondays when the crowd is maximum, a decision will be taken on the spot after assessment of the crowd.

Meena said 60 per cent of the total income generated from this system would be deposited with the committee while the remaining 40 per cent would go to Panda Dharmarakshni Sabha, an association of temple priests.

The DC further said the sabha would pay the priests performing rituals for the pass-holders. “The amount will be decided by the sabha,” Meena added.

Many devotees, mostly women and elderly, were the happiest lot.

“I can’t believe that I could go inside and offer Ganga jal to Lord Shiva only after spending Rs 500,” said Merra Devi of Patna. She recalled how she returned home disappointed last year after failing to enter the temple.

However, those who cannot afford Rs 500 to buy the passes were left grumbling. “A majority of devotees come from rural areas with a lot of faith. They cannot spend Rs 500 on a gate pass. They are bound to feel that the new system is unjust,” said Binod Kumar, a resident of Deoghar.