Odisha’s Puri experienced an unprecedented rush of devotees as thousands thronged the Shree Jagannath Temple to welcome the New Year. From early morning hours, long queues were seen stretching far beyond the temple premises, with pilgrims braving cold weather and dense fog to offer prayers.
On Thursday, marking the beginning of the New Year, lakhs of devotees from different parts of the country arrived in the holy town. The heavy footfall continued into Friday, with devotees lining up along the Badadanda well past midnight. Temple authorities allowed darshan till around 1:55 am to accommodate the overwhelming rush.
Many devotees expressed deep spiritual satisfaction after offering prayers. A pilgrim from Kanpur shared that visiting Lord Jagannath at the start of the New Year had been a long-cherished wish, fulfilled after years of devotion.
In view of the massive gathering, security arrangements were significantly tightened. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers for crowd control, traffic regulation, and to ensure the smooth conduct of darshan, maintaining safety and order throughout the temple town.
