LUCKNOW, Dec. 29 -- There is an unprecedented turnout of devotees in Uttar Pradesh's temple towns of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura ahead of the New Year, prompting respective administrations to make arrangements for crowd management and safety of visitors.

Among these places, Ayodhya has turned out to be the most favourite destination for pilgrims as the footfall here started surging in the last week of December. On December 24 and 25, more than 2.5 lakh devotees visited the place and by December 26 evening, more than one lakh more devotees landed in Ayodhya. This influx is expected to continue till January 1.

The formal start of the second anniversary celebrations of the consecration of Ram Lalla began on December 27. Other festivities be...