Puri: Early morning on Saturday, Sri Jagannath Temple here suddenly gathered crowd though there was no festive reason or religious event. In a few moments, the reason behind the sudden excitement among the crowd became evident as Team India players Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy reached the temple to offer obeisance to the Trinity ahead of the highly anticipated One-Day International match with England at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.
The cricketers were warmly welcomed by the Sri Jagannath Temple administration upon their arrival at the Singhadwar (Lion’s Gate). They first had darshan of Lord Jagannath from the entrance before taking the Baisi Pahacha (22 steps) to reach the sanctum sanctorum. They also moved around the other temple on the Srimandir premises. As a gesture of goodwill, the temple administration presented them with Mahaprabhu’s bana (sacred flag), symbolising divine protection and success.
To ensure a smooth visit, Puri police tightened security as the crowd started increasing outside the temple to catch a glimpse of their favourite players.
Team India reached Bhubaneswar on Friday and will be proceeding to the Barabati Stadium on Saturday for nets.
Keeping in view the movement of the players between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, security has been tightened throughout the route. Earlier, during ticket sale on Wednesday, a lot of chaos prevailed leading to a stampede-like situation in Cuttack. Around 10 people fell unconscious and were rushed to the hospital.
Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Jagmohan Meena, discussed crowd control, traffic management, and secure transit arrangements for the players. "Entry and exit will be regulated through four designated gates, with personnel stationed to manage security and sanitation," Meena said.
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