After indulging in zero night celebrations, people in different parts of Odisha were seen making beelines at various religious places to start their New Year by seeking the blessings of their presiding deities.
As it is believed that one should start a new year on a positive note, people thronged various temples since early morning in different parts of the state.
A huge rush was witnessed in Puri with a lot of people as well as tourists and devotees from other parts of the state and country enjoying their time with their loved ones at the beach since early morning by taking a dip in the sea. Many thronged the popular beach to watch the first sunrise of the year.
“We are loving our visit to Puri as we wanted to start the New Year by seeking blessings of Lord Jagannath,” said a devotee. As the Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, the excitement was high among people.
“We were unable to visit temples on New Year due to Covid restrictions. But now, as things have improved, we decided to make full use of the opportunity. We have come to Puri to pray to Lord Jagannath and seek blessings for peace and prosperity for all,” said another devotee.
Special arrangements were made by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration for hassle free darshan of the Lord at Srimandir. A similar rush of devotees was also witnessed at Baldevjew temple in Kendrapara district.
Earlier, the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar came alive for the zero night celebrations. Several hotels, restaurants and clubs had made elaborate arrangements for the zero night celebrations.
(Reported by OdishaTV Bureau)