Bhubaneswar, Dec. 27 -- 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 preven...