New Year rush builds up in Puri; pilgrims throng Srimandir; elaborate security in place

Pilgrim footfall has surged sharply in Puri towards the last days of December and is expected to continue through January of the new year of 2026. The rush has also triggered heightened security, crowd control, and civic preparedness across the holy town.

Sources reported that on Saturday morning, long queues of devotees were witnessed at the Shree Jagannath Temple, and the administration expects the crowd to swell further in the coming days, particularly on December 31 and January 1.

Reports stated that the volume of devotees has been rising steadily with each passing day. To ensure orderly darshan, the extensive barricading has been put in place from Shree Nahar to Bagala Dharamshala to manage queues and prevent congestion on the Bada Danda and surrounding stretches.

Heavy Deployment From Temple To Beach

Anticipating peak crowd pressure, the administration has tightened security arrangements from the Srimandir premises up to the sea beach. As part of the deployment plan, multiple platoons of police forces, along with senior officers, have been stationed at strategic points across the town, informed sources.

Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh said a large contingent of force will be deployed to maintain law and order and ensure the safety of devotees. According to police planning, as many as 60 platoons will be mobilised during the peak New Year period, with special focus on crowd regulation near the temple gates, Bada Danda, and beach areas.

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Special Darshan Arrangements

For Darshan, a one-way system has been finalised. Devotees will enter the Srimandir through the Singhadwara, while exit will be routed through the other three gates to avoid cross movement and bottlenecks. Barricades have been erected along the designated routes to channelise the flow of pilgrims.

Police officials said continuous monitoring will be carried out and adjustments made based on crowd dynamics.