People wearing half-plants, shorts, ripped jeans, skirts and sleeveless dresses will not be allowed entry into the famed Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri as a dress code came into force on Monday, officials said.
Devotees will be required to wear "decent clothes", which are not revealing, to enter the temple, they said. As the new rule came into force, men were seen entering the 12th-century shrine wearing dhotis and 'gamchas', while women were mostly seen in either sarees or salwar kameez.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has asked hotels to make people aware of the dress code as most of the devotees come to the temple from there, officials said. The SJTA also increased its vigil on chewing gutkha and pan inside the temple, besides the use of plastic bags, which have been banned, they said.
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The doors of the temple reopened for devotees as early as 1.40 am to handle the rush on New Year's Day, and till 5 pm, about 3.5 lakh people visited the shrine, the SJTA said. Elaborate arrangements were made to ensure that no untoward incident take place at the temple, which is the home to the sibling deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra.
The air-conditioned tensile fabric structure that has been built outside the temple was made functional in the morning. Facilities such as drinking water and public toilets have been made available at the structure, and it has also been equipped with CCTV cameras and public announcement systems. Sitting arrangements have also been provided in it.
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Police said that the number of devotees visiting the temple on New Year's Day this time was double as compared to last year. The added enthusiasm was because the people wanted to experience the revamped surrounding of the temple due to the heritage corridor project, which is almost complete, and will be inaugurated on January 17, SJTA chief administrator Ranjan Das had said on Sunday.
Traffic restrictions have also been imposed in the town. The area between Market Chakka to Singhadwara (main gate) on Badadanda has been declared a 'no vehicle zone', while vehicles have been banned on the beachside road from Digabareni to the lighthouse, officials said. Consumption of pan and tobacco products has also been banned inside the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar.
