Puri: Around five lakh devotees from across the country descended on the Holy City here to have darshan of the Trinity at Srimandir on the New Year’s Day, Wednesday.
Thousands of visitors also flocked to the beach here to witness the first sunrise of 2020.
Long queues of devotees were seen at the Lions’ Gate of Srimandir. The district administration and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had constructed new barricades and sheds to facilitate a safe shrine visit to the devotees.
SJTA sources said the doors of the 12th century shrine were opened around 1.20 am Wednesday. The devotees were allowed to enter the shrine and pay obeisance to the presiding deities immediately after the completion of Mangala Alati ritual around 2 am. The devotees paid obeisance to the deities from the Bahara Katha (outer circle). They left the shrine through its North, South and West Gates, SJTA sources said.
“Devotees were allowed to enter the shrine in phases. Around 1,000 devotees were allowed to cross the barricades and reach the Lions’ Gate in a single phase. There was no report of any untoward incident,” said an official of the temple administration.
Srimandir sources said the Pahili Bhoga ritual of the deities was performed at 5.40am and Sakala Dhoopa at 7am. Mahaprasad was made available to the devotees at Anand Bazar on the shrine premises after the completion of Bhoga Mandap ritual at 10am.
“The administration introduced several measures to provide hassle-free darshan to the devotees on the New Year’s Day. Regulating huge crowds at the Lions’ Gate was a challenging task for us. Devotees fully cooperated with the administration,” said Puri Collector Balwant Singh.
Superintendent of Police Uma Shankar Das said around five lakh devotees paid obeisance to the deities, Wednesday. “The new crowd management system at the Lions’ Gate is a success. Devotees visited the shrine without any inconvenience,” Dash added.
Many devotees, meanwhile, praised the beautification work at the Lions’ Gate. “The administration has erected new barricades and beautified the temple surroundings with plants and flowers. There was also drinking water facility and special arrangements for senior citizens. Today, we had a new experience while visiting the shrine,” said Pragyan Paramita Sahu, a devotee from Cuttack.