Lakhs throng Puri to begin New Year 2026 with Jagannath darshan

Lakhs of devotees thronged the holy town of Puri on Thursday to usher in the New Year 2026 with the darshan of Lord Jagannath. The pilgrimage city witnessed an unprecedented surge of devotees from the early hours, as people gathered to offer prayers, seek blessings and begin the year on a spiritual note.

The Shree Jagannath Temple opened its gates for devotees at 2 am, allowing early entry into the temple town. To manage the massive crowd, entry was regulated exclusively through the Singhadwar (Lion’s Gate), while darshan inside the temple was conducted from the Bahara Katha.

Anticipating heavy footfall, the district administration had made elaborate arrangements along the Bada Danda. Temporary mobile phone and footwear counters were set up to streamline movement and prevent congestion near the temple premises.

Security was tightened across Puri to ensure smooth crowd management and maintain law and order. Strict surveillance was enforced from Atharanala to the sea beach, with police personnel deployed at all strategic points. Around 70 platoons of security forces were stationed across the city, while traffic flow and crowd movement were closely monitored throughout the day.

Confirming the arrangements, Puri SP Prateek Singh said a large number of devotees had gathered to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath. “All necessary arrangements have been made as per the plan. CCTV cameras and public address systems have been installed in the sheds to assist devotees,” he said.

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He further added that human chains were introduced to prevent chaos, and additional officers and staff were deployed inside the temple to ensure smooth darshan. “We are expecting more than three lakh devotees today,” the SP said.