As the eventful year of 2023 draws to a close, India enthusiastically welcomes the arrival of 2024. Cities all across the nation celebrated the new year by offering prayers.
In the state of Odisha, devotees gathered at the Puri Srimandir to offer prayers to Lord Jagannath on the first day of 2024. The temple doors were opened early at 1:40 AM to accommodate the rush of New Year’s visitors.
According to Ashish Kumar Singh, IGP of the Central range, “More than 1 lakh devotees have already sought darshan at the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri since 2 am today.” Puri Police reported that the turnout at the popular shrine on New Year’s Day was unprecedented.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, a special aarti was performed at the Jhandewalan Devi Temple, attracting large crowds at Connaught Place.
The Taj Mahal in Agra also witnessed a significant number of visitors, while the city of Varanasi experienced a high demand for various types of flowers that devotees offered at temples.
Similarly, Kamarajar Salai in Chennai and Mall Road in Shimla were bustling with people welcoming the upcoming year. In a unique occurrence, New Year celebrations were held in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area in Jammu and Kashmir, where a large number of people gathered to welcome the New Year.
In Andhra Pradesh, devotees in Balighattam village of Anakapalli district paid homage to a Shivalinga with historical significance. The Adhyapith Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata also received a large number of visitors.
In Siliguri, people offered prayers at the Anandamoyi Kalibari temple. Sabarimala temple in Kerala saw a throng of devotees on New Year’s Eve, while in Tamil Nadu, devotees gathered at the Sri Ayyappan Temple to perform aarti.
Likewise, a significant number of people visited the Shri Bhagya Lakshmi temple at Charminar in Hyderabad to mark the occasion of the New Year. Devotees and numerous celebrities from different parts of the country also flocked to the Tirumala Tirupati temple.
The New Year was grandly celebrated by Jammu and Kashmir Governor Manoj Sinha, Telangana Governor Tamil Sai Soundarya Rajan, Telangana Deputy CM Batti Vikramarka, Maharashtra minister, and many other VIPs and common devotees.