Puri: Odisha’s pilgrim town Puri was packed with visitors on Wednesday as thousands of devotees thronged Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri for the darshan of the sibling deities and seek their blessings on the first day of the New Year.
To ensure smooth and hassle-free darshan by the devotees, the gates of the 12th century shrine were opened at 12.30 am.
The ‘Bada Danda’ (Grand Road) leading to the temple got filled with devotees since Tuesday night. Thousands gathered at the seaside town to offer prayers before the trinity.
In view of the heavy rush in the last few days ahead of the New Year, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has made elaborate arrangements to accommodate the influx of visitors. Strict measures including barricades were extended to Market Square in order to ensure smooth and disciplined flow of devotees.
The district administration and the SJTA have made elaborate arrangements to manage the crowd and ensure a smooth darshan by the devotees.
Besides putting in place tight security measures, the police have clamped traffic regulations. Parking arrangements were organised separately to manage the flow of vehicles into the town.
A ‘No Vehicle Zone’ has been declared from Market Square to the temple.
With tourists from different parts of Odisha and outside over 60 platoons of police force have been deployed to maintain law and order situation.
Puri district Superintendent of Police, Vinit Agrawal said that the temple has been placed under strict security arrangements. Devotees are allowed to proceed for darshan in an organised manner through the seven gates, and a block-wise system has been implemented to ensure that no inconvenience is caused. So far, the darshan arrangements have been running smoothly.
Ambulance services are also available to handle any medical emergencies promptly. The entire city is under surveillance with CCTV cameras installed at key locations. We extend an open invitation to all devotees for the New Year celebrations, the SP said.
