Bhubaneswar, Jan. 27: The Archaeological Survey of India today started repair work on the Jagamohan, the inner part of the Jagannath temple in Puri.

Devotees will no longer be allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum till the work is completed and they will have to see the three deities from a distance.

A meeting was called on Monday by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to decide the ritual timings and monitoring the progress of the repair work. It also constituted two committees to oversee the rituals during this time. One committee would supervise the timing of the rituals, while the other would look after the maintenance work.

According to the revised schedule, the temple gates will open at 2am and the second offering will be over by 10am to complete the rituals. Once this is done, the Archaeological Survey of India team will undertake the maintenance work. The second session of rituals will be completed between 7pm and midnight.

"The committee will look into the problems likely to occur during the repair work. It will also ensure that debris does not fall on the deities during the repair work," an SJTA member said.

SJTA chief administrator Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said the rituals would follow the revised scheduled until the renovation is completed.

"The devotees can have darshan from behind the barricade ," said Mahapatra.

However, the revised schedule was delayed on the first day itself, according to sources.