The sacred festival of Anla Navami is being celebrated with deep devotion and traditional rituals at Sakhigopal, Puri on Friday. On this auspicious day, Goddess Radharani appeared in her traditional Odiyani attire at the Sakhigopal Temple, captivating thousands of devotees.

The much-awaited Radha Pada Darshan began at 5 a.m. and is set to continue till late into the night. Devotees received the rare opportunity to witness and seek blessings from the divine feet of Goddess Radha, which remain covered throughout the year and are unveiled only once annually on this day. It is widely believed that having darshan of Her holy feet on Anla Navami bestows immense spiritual merit.

Extensive Administrative Arrangements for Devotee Management

To ensure a smooth and orderly darshan, the temple administration at Sakhigopal Gopalji Temple in Satyabadi implemented elaborate arrangements. Around 11-layered barricades have been installed around the temple premises to manage the flow of devotees.

Similarly, extensive crowd-control measures were undertaken at PuriSrimandir in Odisha to facilitate the Anla Navami and Panchuka observances. With lakhs of devotees expected, the administration arranged for seamless movement and safe darshan throughout the day, sources said.

Heavy Turnout of Devotees Since Midnight

Devotees began assembling at Sakhigopal Temple from Thursday midnight, soon after the completion of Mangala Alati and other morning rituals. Many had queued up as early as 2 a.m. to catch a glimpse of the Goddess. The 11-lane barricade system was fully occupied as the crowd swelled rapidly. Thousands of devotees lined up from Chandan Pokhari, slowly advancing towards the temple for darshan.

Monitoring and Weather Preparedness

The district collector visited the temple to review the arrangements and instructed police and temple staff to remain alert to ensure smooth crowd management. Considering the possibility of rain, precautionary measures were put in place for devotees’ safety.

Also Read: ‘Anla Navami’ magic in Puri’s Sakhigopal, devotees flock for sacred ‘Radha Pada’ darshan

By the time of reporting, around 20,000 devotees had completed darshan of Goddess Radharani in Odiyani Besha, while Lord Sakhigopal adorned the Natabar Besha, adding to the divine splendour of the occasion.