A record number of devotees visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri and had darshan of the Holy Trinity on the occasion of New Year’s Day on Monday. Around five lakh devotees thronged the shrine, which was opened from 1 am to facilitate smooth darshan.
It is to be noted that about 1.5 lakh devotees had visited the temple on the New Year’s Day 2023.
The devotees entered the temple passing through the newly-constructed air-conditioned tunnel and reception centre. They exited through the North Gate (Uttar Dwar) of the Shreeemandir after paying their obeisance to the deities. Several differently-abled persons, senior citizens, women and children had the darshan.
Ninety platoons of police forces led by 20 DSPs and 50 Inspectors were deployed to maintain the law and order situation in Puri town. A patch of the Grand Road stretching from Market Chhak up to the Lions Gate (Singha Dwar) had been declared as a ‘no-vehicle zone’ to effectively regulate the huge crowds.
