Bhubaneswar: Two women sustained minor injuries at Lingaraj temple in the city due to overcrowding as large numbers of devotees gathered at the shrine to offer prayers on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri on Wednesday. Temple authorities and local volunteers immediately provided first aid to the women and controlled the crowd to prevent further mishaps.
The temple witnessed an overwhelming footfall, with thousands of devotees forming long queues to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. “This year, the turnout increased significantly leading to a heavy rush. Drinking water facilities were made, while the volunteers sprinkled water on the devotees waiting in line amid the heat. Limited passes were issued for VIPs and family members of servitors,” Khurda collector Chanchal Rana said.
A total of 40 platoons of police force and more than 100 officers were deployed to ensure safety and security of devotees. “Crowd management was a challenge due to huge number of visitors at the temple. People were standing in long queues for hours and there was delay due to entry of VIPs, politicians and family members of servitors causing inconvenience to common people,” Samar Panda, a devotee standing in line, said.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida also offered prayers at the Akhandalamani Temple in Bhadrak district.