Day after stampede, thousands make beeline to have glimpse of sibling deities in Puri

Puri (Odisha): A day after three people were killed and 50 others injured in a stampede near Shree Gundicha temple in Puri, thousands of devotees on Monday made a beeline to have a darshan of the sibling deities -- Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath. In view of Sunday's incident, barricades have been erected in front of the Shree Gundicha temple and different queues made for having a smooth darshan of the deities at 'Adapa Mandap' (the podium on which the deities are seated) inside the temple, a senior police officer said. The temple office stated that there was no 'Pahuda' (closing of the temple's door for the deities to take rest) on Monday night due to several scheduled rituals following the deities' entry into the Shree Gundicha temple. "Mangal Aarti was performed at 7.40 am on Tuesday and thousands of devotees witnessed the ritual without any hassle," a temple official said, adding that the Lords will be offered the cooked 'prasad' after almost 20 days.

The cooked food offered to the deities in Shree Gundicha temple is called 'Adapa Mandap Prasad'. "We are alert... by the grace of the Lord, everything is running smoothly. Devotees are entering the Shree Gundicha Temple without any hassle," IPS officer Soumendra Priyadarshi told media. Priyadarshi is an ADG-rank officer who has been given the responsibility of overseeing the police arrangement during Rath Yatra. He was assigned the task by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi after the stampede. Devotees believe that they can wash away their sins if they have a darshan of Lord Jagannath seated atop the 'Adapa Mandap'. According to a statement issued by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the doors will remain closed for the devotees from 9 pm to 2 am during which a ritual called 'Banakalagi' will be performed. 'Banakalagi', also called 'Srimukha Singhar Niti', is a ritual in which facial decoration using natural colours and cleaning of the deities is conducted. At least three persons, including two women, were killed and around 50 others injured in a stampede near Shree Gundicha temple in Puri on Sunday morning during a ceremony related to the ongoing Rath Yatra festivities, officials said.

The incident took place around 4.20 am on Sunday when thousands of devotees had gathered near the chariots parked in front of the temple, they said. Majhi has issued an apology to Lord Jagannath devotees and undertook a massive administrative overhaul to restore public trust and ensure the smooth conduct of the remaining rituals of Rath Yatra such as 'Adapa Bije', 'Bahuda', and 'Suna Besha'. Meanwhile, newly appointed Puri district Collector Chanchal Rana and Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra joined duty and are on the field overseeing the arrangements for the Rath Yatra festival, which started on June 27 and will continue till July 8. The deities will stay at Shree Gundicha temple till July 5, when they will return to their abode at Shree Jagannath Temple with Bahuda Yatra.