All roads lead to Puri as devotees congregate for Suna Besha
2
Bhubaneswar: Entry points to Puri were choked following an unprecedented surge of vehicles transporting devotees for Suna Besha ceremony on Sunday, resulting in massive congestion and prompting police to implement emergency traffic management measures.
The ceremony, coinciding with a Sunday, drew huge crowds eager to witness the spectacle of the sibling deities — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — adorned in golden ornaments atop their respective chariots outside the Jagannath Temple.
Though the Suna Besha ceremony commenced in the evening and continued till late night, all designated parking facilities in and around Puri, capable of accommodating 6,500 vehicles, were exhausted by 7:30am.
Police authorities said such traffic flow was witnessed for the first time during Suna Besha compared to the previous occasions. Police were forced to cancel many vehicle passes issued before Rath Yatra. "While Suna Besha in 2024 had drawn about 15,000-20,000 vehicles, their numbers seem to have increased this time. We ensured proper traffic management," ADG Dayal Gangwar said.
The situation escalated on Sunday as severe traffic bottlenecks developed along all three major access routes to Puri from Bhubaneswar, Brahmagiri and Konark.
Commuters were stuck for a prolonged time about 10km away from their destination, with waiting times at critical junctions extending beyond two hours.
The inflow of vehicles overwhelmed the available infrastructure and tested the limits of law enforcement personnel. In response to the crisis, local police coordinated with their counterparts in Bhubaneswar and Khurda to implement immediate traffic control measures, including temporarily halting and preventing additional vehicle movement towards Puri.
Police officers, grappling with limited infrastructure and logistical challenges, looked for alternative parking solutions while issuing real-time updates and advisories to pilgrims and tourists via SMS, social media handles and LED screens installed en route to Puri. "These communications aimed to help visitors better plan their arrivals and minimise the risk of extended traffic delays," Gangwar said.
During Rath Yatra's third day on June 29, about 25,000 vehicles arrived in Puri, one of the factors contributing to the death of three devotees in a stampede outside the Gundicha Temple.
Devotees said the unprecedented turnout has highlighted the urgent need for enhanced infrastructure and more robust crowd and traffic management. "With better connectivity, the participation of devotees is increasing every year. Govt should take steps to accommodate the growing number of devotees arriving for the ceremonies while ensuring their safety and convenience," said Subrat Tripathy, an IT engineer from Bhubaneswar.
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Lakhs of devotees thronged the sacred coastal town of Puri on Sunday to witness the holy siblings - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra - adorned with gold ornaments, weighing around 208 kilograms. The huge inflow of pilgrims got a glimpse of the holy triad dazzling with gold ornaments of hundreds of kilograms, which resulted in heavy traffic snarls in and around Puri. Earlier in the day, the Odisha Police had alerted devotees coming to Puri that the designated parking spots in the city had reached the maximum capacity. The vehicles carrying pilgrims to Puri were advised to wait for some hours at Batgaon and Maltipatpur. 'Extremely heavy vehicle inflow from Bhubaneswar towards Puri at present. The present waiting time at Batgaon is around two hours. All devotees are requested to plan their visit accordingly,' informed the Odisha Police. The police requested all to follow traffic advisories and cooperate with on-duty police personnel. The deities were decorated with gold-made hands, feet, garlands with gold beads of different shapes and styles, golden crown, gold Chakra or discus, silver conch, gold ploughshare and pestle during the special ritual known as 'Suna Besha' or 'Rajarajeswar Besha' or 'Bada Tadhau Besha'. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had earlier announced that devotees can get the 'darshan' of the deities from 6.30 pm to 11 pm on Sunday. With lakhs of devotees visiting Puri to witness the 'Suna Besha' (golden attire) of Lord Jagannath in chariot on Sunday, Odisha Police said it was using drones and AI cameras to control the crowd. Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said: 'We are expecting a turnout of about 15 lakh people on the occasion of Suna Besha. Last night alone, about 2 lakh devotees had 'darshan' of the deities on chariots. The administration is alert and aware of the situation and taking required measures to control the crowd,' the minister said. In view of the huge devotees inflow to Puri, Odisha DGP Y B Khurania himself monitored the crowd management from the Integrated Crowd Control Centre (ICCC) and urged people to follow the advisory. The officials said there was a 'non-stop flow of devotees to Puri on Saturday night as the deities remained on chariots and were open for 'darshan.' 'There was no 'Pahuda' (resting time) for deities on Saturday night and devotees got the opportunity to see them on chariots. Therefore, there was a huge rush,' an official of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said. Servitors performed all the morning rituals on Sunday, while the sibling deities - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath - were seated on their respective chariots. The three chariots - 'Taladhwaja', 'Darpadalana' and 'Nandighosha' - were parked in front of the 'Singha Dwar' (Lion's Gate) of the 12th-century shrine after the completion of the deities' nine-day annual sojourn. The 'Bahuda' Yatra passed off smoothly on Saturday amid unprecedented security and active cooperation of servitors. The administration was on its toes to control the crowd for 'Suna Besha' rituals, the SJTA official said. The police enhanced security, crowd management and traffic control measures for the 'Suna Besha' rituals, following the death of three devotees in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha temple on June 29, a senior police officer said. The SJTA Chief Administrator, Arabinda Padhee, has appealed to all stakeholders to actively cooperate for the smooth conduct of Lord Jagannath's 'Suna Besha' rituals.
Time of India
15 hours ago
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All roads lead to Puri as devotees congregate for Suna Besha
1 2 Bhubaneswar: Entry points to Puri were choked following an unprecedented surge of vehicles transporting devotees for Suna Besha ceremony on Sunday, resulting in massive congestion and prompting police to implement emergency traffic management measures. The ceremony, coinciding with a Sunday, drew huge crowds eager to witness the spectacle of the sibling deities — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — adorned in golden ornaments atop their respective chariots outside the Jagannath Temple. Though the Suna Besha ceremony commenced in the evening and continued till late night, all designated parking facilities in and around Puri, capable of accommodating 6,500 vehicles, were exhausted by 7:30am. Police authorities said such traffic flow was witnessed for the first time during Suna Besha compared to the previous occasions. Police were forced to cancel many vehicle passes issued before Rath Yatra. "While Suna Besha in 2024 had drawn about 15,000-20,000 vehicles, their numbers seem to have increased this time. We ensured proper traffic management," ADG Dayal Gangwar said. The situation escalated on Sunday as severe traffic bottlenecks developed along all three major access routes to Puri from Bhubaneswar, Brahmagiri and Konark. Commuters were stuck for a prolonged time about 10km away from their destination, with waiting times at critical junctions extending beyond two hours. The inflow of vehicles overwhelmed the available infrastructure and tested the limits of law enforcement personnel. In response to the crisis, local police coordinated with their counterparts in Bhubaneswar and Khurda to implement immediate traffic control measures, including temporarily halting and preventing additional vehicle movement towards Puri. Police officers, grappling with limited infrastructure and logistical challenges, looked for alternative parking solutions while issuing real-time updates and advisories to pilgrims and tourists via SMS, social media handles and LED screens installed en route to Puri. "These communications aimed to help visitors better plan their arrivals and minimise the risk of extended traffic delays," Gangwar said. During Rath Yatra's third day on June 29, about 25,000 vehicles arrived in Puri, one of the factors contributing to the death of three devotees in a stampede outside the Gundicha Temple. Devotees said the unprecedented turnout has highlighted the urgent need for enhanced infrastructure and more robust crowd and traffic management. "With better connectivity, the participation of devotees is increasing every year. Govt should take steps to accommodate the growing number of devotees arriving for the ceremonies while ensuring their safety and convenience," said Subrat Tripathy, an IT engineer from Bhubaneswar.
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Call for global promotion of Odia culture
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