The absence of adequate carpeting around Srimandir in Puri has compounded the woes of the devotees who have to walk barefeet on the piping hot surface to have darshan of the deities. To get relief from the torture of the sizzling hot paved ground, they can be seen jumping and running to avoid prolonged contact of their feet with the ground.
When they find a patch of shade, they stand still for a moment before running to the next safe place.
A few days ago, OTV telecast an exclusive video in which devotees were hopping and running outside the Uttaradwar of the Srimandir to prevent their feet from getting burned.
Things get worse for small kids and elderly persons because they are unable to move fast on the paved ground.
A woman devotee who came running out of the temple through the Uttaradwar, narrated her ordeal saying, “The ground was too hot that my feet felt like burning. Devotees are unable to bear the ground heat.”
Another devotee said, "We have no carpeting to get relief. We have to go running to the shoe stand at Marichikote Chhak.”
Devotees suggested that water needs to be sprinkled on the way people are communing to alleviate their suffering.