Heavy rush at Puri's Jagannath temple for 'Panchuka Brata'

Bhubaneswar, Nov 3 (PTI) A large number of devotees thronged Puri's Jagannath temple on the second day of 'Panchuka Brata' on Monday.

Devotees were seen standing in a long queue before the 'Singha Dwar' on Grand Road. The devotees are allowed to enter the temple only through the 'Lion's Gate' and exit through the other three gates, a police officer said.

To regulate the flow of devotees, special barricades have been set up from Market Chhaka, guiding them towards the Singha Dwar, he said.

This year, 'Panchuka Brata' (last five days of the Hindu month of Kartik) is being celebrated for four days instead of the usual five days.

Chaotic scenes were seen at the 12th-century shrine on Sunday as some people broke through the barricades to enter the temple.

Speaking to reporters, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said that about 2 lakh devotees had gathered at the temple, so there was a chaotic situation.

However, there was no stampede-like situation, he said.

"About 4,000 to 4,500 people can be accommodated in the temple at a time. If 2 lakh people gather, more time will be required to have a darshan," he said.

Harichandan appealed to the devotees to have patience while visiting the Jagannath temple.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said a number of rituals are being conducted in the temple for 'Panchuka Brata'.

"As a large number of people visit the temple, some restrictions have been imposed. So, we appeal to the people to follow the instructions issued by the temple administration," Padhee said.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened to maintain law and order.

DGP Y B Khurani visited the temple on Sunday evening, while Additional DGP Soumendra Priyadarshi reviewed the security arrangements on Monday.

Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh said the crowd management is underway smoothly and everything is under control. Police personnel have been deployed both inside and outside the temple.

Besides, security has been increased in major temples, beaches and other crowd places, he added. PTI BBM BBM ACD