Bhubaneswar, Dec. 28 -- With the New Year around the corner, the pilgrim town of Puri is witnessing a significant increase in the number of devotees flocking to the Srimandir to have darshan of Lord Jagannath and His Siblings.

According to sources, pilgrims have been arriving in large numbers over the past few days, and the crowd is expected to swell even further on December 31 and January 1, which are likely to witness peak footfall.

In anticipation of the rush, the temple administration has made extensive arrangements to ensure smooth movement and the safety of devotees.

Barricades have been erected from the Srimandir premises all the way to Bagala Dharamshala to manage the flow of pilgrims. A one-way movement system has been introdu...