Bhubaneswar, Dec 29: Anticipating a massive influx of devotees to the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri to welcome the New Year, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has revised the timing of the Dhwaja Bandha ritual. As per the new schedule, the sacred ritual, which is usually performed around 5 pm, will now be completed by 3 pm to ensure better crowd management and smooth darshan for pilgrims.

Temple officials said the decision was taken to ease congestion in and around the shrine and to minimise the risk of overcrowding during peak hours. The SJTA is making efforts to strike a balance between maintaining age-old traditions and ensuring effective crowd control without disturbing the sanctity of daily rituals. Devotees have been urged to cooperate with the revised arrangements to help ensure a safe and peaceful New Year celebration.

The Dhwaja Bandha ritual, which involves changing the temple flag atop the shrine, holds deep religious significance and is an integral part of daily temple practices. The revised timing is expected to allow more devotees to witness the ritual comfortably.

Meanwhile, a member of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, Mahesh Kumar Sahoo, has urged authorities not to keep the temple open at midnight to mark the English New Year. In a letter to the SJTA and the Odisha government, he described the practice as “non-Sanatani” and contrary to the temple’s long-established religious traditions.

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