Bhubaneswar: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has announced certain restrictions on entry of devotees into the 12th century shrine on December 31 and New Year.

The devotees will be allowed to enter Jagannath temple only through the Singhadwar (Lions’ Gate) of the shrine on December 31 and January 1 (New Year), said the SJTA in a statement today.

The devotees will not be allowed to enter the temple through the other three gates on these two days. However, they can exit Jagannath temple through the three gates, added the SJTA.

The temple authorities have imposed restrictions on the entry of devotees into the Jagannath temple as part of their crowd management plan as thousands from across Odisha and outside are expected to throng the shrine on December 31 and New Year.

At present, the devotees enter the temple through its all four gates.

The Puri district administration will deploy as many as 60 platoons of police force at the Holy Town to manage crowd in and around Jagannath temple.

The Puri police have also issued a traffic advisory for the devotees visiting the Holy Town on New Year.