Puri: Thousands of devotees on Monday made a beeline at Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri for darshan of the sibling deities at ‘Adapa Mandap’, where they were escorted in goti pahandi by servitors from their respective chariots last night.
In view of the Sunday stampede, which claimed three lives, barricades have been erected in front of the shrine and different queues have been formed. “We are alert. By the grace of the Lord, everything is running smoothly. Devotees are entering the Shree Gundicha Temple without any hassle,” said ADG (modernisation) Soumendra Priyadarshi, who was tasked with overseeing police arrangements during the nine-day annual sojourn of the Lords of Shree Jagannath Temple after the stampede.
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Puri Collector Chanchal Rana said that the public darshan began at around 6.40 am. “Advance passes for parikrama of Gundicha temple are available near Jagannath lodge on Bada Danda. There is a separate queue for those with passes, which are also available at the shrine,” he said.
It is believed that those who can get a glimpse of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on the ‘Adapa Mandap’, during Rath Yatra will be freed from the sins of a hundred lifetimes.
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The shrine, however, will remain closed for five hours from 9 pm to 2 am for the Banakalagi rituals of the deities. “On June 30, 2025 (Monday), corresponding to Ashadha Shukla Chaturthi with Panchami Tithi, the Banakalagi rituals of the deities will be performed. As a result, public darshan will be closed from 9:00 PM until 2:00 AM (late night), after completion of the second Bhoga Mandap Puja offering,” the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration posted on X.
The deities will stay put at Gundicha Temple, which is considered their birthplace, till July 5, when they will return to their abode with Bahuda Yatra.
