Puri: After delay in ‘Dwara Phita’ ritual at Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Saturday, heavy rush of devotees was seen at the 12th century shrine. A large number of devotees were seen waiting outside the shrine for darshan of the sibling deities.
Long queues could be seen in front of the Singhadwara, the Lion’s Gate, as devotees had to wait for long hours to enter the temple following delay in the opening of gates, sources said.
While devotees were seen standing for hours inside the barricades installed since early morning, there was a heavy rush right from the parking area to the barricades. Elderly people were in a bad shape because of the huge rush.
Visitors to the temple generally join the queue outside the shrine ahead of the Dwara Phita ritual, which was delayed today. They were allowed for darshan after Mangala Alati.
In view of the large crowd, special arrangements were made by the police to prevent any untoward incident and ensure smooth movement of devotees for darshan of the deities.
Additional four platoons of police force were deployed to regulate the crowd, according to Puri Superintendent of Police Kanwar Vishal Singh. Senior police officers are monitoring the situation.
