Puri ramps up safety and halts darshan ahead of Snana Yatra festivities

A comprehensive mock drill was held in Puri involving the district administration, police, health, fire services and municipal authorities to test crowd‑management, emergency response and traffic control ahead of the Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra festivals. Officials reviewed standard operating procedures and simulated scenarios to ensure prompt action during the expected influx of lakhs of devotees.

Simultaneously, the Shree Jagannath Temple announced that public darshan would be suspended for more than 14 hours—from the night of June 27 to the afternoon of June 28—to allow ritual preparations, including the bathing of the deities with 108 pitchers of aromatic water. Additional security personnel were deployed around the temple to manage crowd movement and maintain order during the restricted period.