Bhubaneswar: Puri Jagannath temple will open its doors at 2 am on January 1, 2026, to welcome devotees seeking blessings from Lord Jagannath and his siblings, informed Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Kumar Padhee.
According to Padhee, the Pahili Bhoga ritual timetable had already been decided. As per the schedule, the Ratri Pahuda ritual will be held at 11 pm on December 31, after which the Dwaraphita ritual will be conducted at 2 am on January 1, 2026, to accommodate the large crowd of devotees expected to visit the temple on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The decision to open the temple early on January 1 has been taken to ensure that devotees can offer their prayers and receive blessings from Sri Jiu without any hassle. The temple administration has made necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth and safe experience for the devotees.
Meanwhile, Puri police on Monday issued a traffic advisory ahead of the Zero Hour celebrations on December 31, 2025, and the New Year 2026. To ensure smooth traffic flow and effective crowd management, 60 platoons of police personnel are set to be deployed across the city.
