Puri: Devotees can have final Sandhya Darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra till 6 pm Thursday, ahead of the Bahuda Yatra Friday.
Thursday marks the last opportunity for devotees to offer prayers to the sibling deities at the Adapa Mandap inside Shree Gundicha Temple, where they have been staying since the Rath Yatra began. Long queues were witnessed from early morning as thousands gathered for the spiritually significant evening darshan before the deities begin their return journey.
Temple officials said the Sandhya Darshan is regarded as one of the most sacred moments of the Rath Yatra, offering devotees a final chance to seek the blessings of the Holy Trinity before they leave Gundicha Temple.
The deities will return to the Shree Jagannath Temple, about 2.6 km away, on their respective chariots during the Bahuda Yatra Friday.
Those planning to visit Puri for the Bahuda Yatra or Suna Besha should note that traffic and parking arrangements will remain the same as during the Rath Yatra. The state government has deployed additional police personnel for traffic regulation, while the Marine Police and Coast Guard will jointly patrol the coastline to ensure security.
Authorities have enforced comprehensive traffic restrictions to facilitate smooth darshan and hassle-free parking for devotees. Regular buses from Brahmagiri will operate via Mangalaghat Bridge to Samanga Parking and return through the same route.
Buses from Bhubaneswar will travel via Satyabadi, Chandanpur, Malatipatpur ROB, Bypass Nagar, Grid Station, Bhudan Chhak, Indoor Stadium Chhak and Talabania Bus Stand. If Talabania parking reaches capacity, buses will drop passengers near Bhudan Chhak and park near the Swaminarayan Temple.
Buses from the Konark side will also terminate at Talabania Bus Stand through the designated route, with the same alternate parking arrangement if required.
Light motor vehicles from Brahmagiri will be parked at Samanga, while those from Bhubaneswar and Konark will be directed to designated parking zones at Talabania, including the Assembly Guest House, ITI, Helipad, Indoor Stadium, Horticulture Ground and Swachha Fish Market. Additional parking has been arranged near the Srisetu Overbridge, Sterling Chhak and Samanga if these locations become full.
The administration will operate shuttle services between major parking areas and the Grand Road to ease movement of devotees.
Two-wheelers from the Bhubaneswar side will be parked at the Matitota Helipad Ground, while those arriving from Konark will be accommodated at the Blue Flag Beach and Nilachal Ashok parking areas before returning through the designated routes, as per the police traffic advisory.
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