Puri, Jan. 1 -- More than five lakh devotees and tourists thronged the holy town of Puri to welcome the New Year and celebrate Zero Night in a festive yet orderly atmosphere.
Interestingly, no VVIP visitors were present this year.
In adherence to the Supreme Court's directions, the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration rescheduled temple rituals. The temple was closed at 10 pm and reopened at 1 am to allow resting time for the deities.
Volunteers were deployed to provide drinking water to devotees standing in long queues from Bagala Dharamshala.
As per arrangements, devotees entered the temple through the Simhadwar after passing through barricades and exited through the other three gates.
The police made elaborate arrangements to regulat...