Puri: A record number of devotees visited the Jagannath temple in Puri and had Darshan of the Holy Trinity on the occasion of New Year’s Day today. Around five lakh devotees thronged the 12th Century shrine which was opened from 1.00 am to facilitate smooth Darshan, a private source said.

About 1.5 lakh devotees visited the temple on 2023 New Year’s Day, which was much less than this.

The devotees entered the temple passing through an air-conditioned tunnel and a reception centre. They exited through the North Gate (Uttara Dwar) of the Srimandir after paying their obeisance to the deities. Several differently-abled persons, senior citizens, women, and children had Darshan.

Worth mentioning, the daily rituals (Nitikanti) of Jagannath temple were rescheduled for the purpose. The Pahuda ritual of the Lords was performed on December 31st night at around 11.00 pm.

Ninety platoons of police forces led by 20 DSPs and 50 Inspectors were deployed to maintain the law and order situation. A patch of the Grand Road stretching from Market Chhak up to the Lions Gate (Singha Dwar) has been declared as a ‘no-vehicle zone’ to effectively regulate the huge crowd.