Puri, Jan 1 (PTI) Lakhs of people visited the 12th century Jagannath temple here on Wednesday to seek blessings of the sibling deities -Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhdra and Lord Jagannath – on the first day of the new year, an official said.
More than a kilometre-long queue of devotees was seen on the Grand Road leading to the temple from Market Chhak to Singha Dwar (Lion’s Gate) of the temple.
“Puri Police is dedicated to ensure a safe and smooth experience for all pilgrims,” said Puri SP Vineeth Agarwal.
The SP said that the temple has been placed under strict security arrangements. As many as 70 platoons (1 platoon comprise of 30 personnel) were deployed for smooth movement of devotees and hassle-free darshan of deities. The police personnel were deployed both outside and in the temple premises, he said.
While devotees are allowed to enter the temple only through the Lion’s Gate on the east side, they are guided to exit through three other gates, said Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee.
He said that keeping in view the ever-growing size of the crowd, the temple gate was opened at 1.05 am on Wednesday and devotees are having darshan of the sibling deities since then.
The SP said ambulance services are also available to handle any medical emergencies. The entire city is under surveillance with CCTV cameras installed at key locations, he said.
The district administration and the SJTA have made elaborate arrangements to manage the crowd and ensure a smooth darshan by the devotees.
Apart from tight security measures, the police have made several traffic regulations. PTI AAM AAM RG
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