Jaipur, Jan 1 (IANS) On the first day of the New Year, major temples across Rajasthan witnessed massive crowds of devotees, with long queues and heavy traffic jams from the early hours of the morning.

In Jaipur, devotees began lining up outside Govinddevji Temple and Motidungri Ganeshji Temple as early as 4 a.m. The heavy influx of pilgrims led to congestion at Badi Chaupar and Chandi Ki Taksal Road in the walled city (Parkote area).

Most of the vehicles entering the area were carrying devotees seeking darshan at Govinddevji Temple. In Sikar, the doors of Khatushyamji Temple have been opened continuously for the past 6 day, and devotees on Thursday will be allowed darshan until late in the night.

To mark the New Year, machine-generated snowfall was arranged at the temple premises, adding to the festive atmosphere.

To manage the crowd, the 17-kilometre-long pedestrian route from Ringas to Khatu has been declared a complete no-vehicle zone from 10 a.m. on Wednesday until 10 a.m. on January 2. In Chittorgarh district, devotees visiting Shri Sanwaliyaji Temple are being allowed entry only through the Meera Circle gate until January 2 as part of crowd-control measures.

Meanwhile, a large number of devotees also reached Mehandipur Balaji Temple in Dausa to seek blessings on the first day of the New Year.

Overall, temples across the state saw a strong turnout, reflecting deep faith and traditional New Year devotion among people.

A massive crowd gathered early on Thursday morning at the Trinetra Ganesh Temple in Sawai Madhopur as devotees arrived for New Year darshan.

By around 6 a.m., a queue of vehicles stretching nearly half a kilometer formed on the approach road, causing long delays. Traffic remained stuck for an extended period as the influx of devotees continued.

Devotees began reaching the Khadi Ganesh Temple in Rangbari, Kota, from 5 a.m., but adverse weather conditions kept the crowd thinner than usual. Temple authorities reported a noticeably lower turnout compared to previous years.

The Salasar Balaji Temple in Churu opened its doors at 1 a.m for New Year darshan. By 7 a.m, nearly 70,000 devotees had already paid their respects. Officials estimate that more than 1.5 lakh devotees may visit the temple throughout the day.

At Jaipur’s historic Govind Devji Temple, devotees lined up as early as 4 a.m for Mangala Jhanki darshan. The Motidungri Ganesh Temple witnessed a heavy rush since early morning. Long queues formed as families arrived to seek blessings of Lord Ganesha on the first day of the New Year.

A sudden surge of vehicles heading toward Govind Devji Temple caused traffic congestion at Badi Chaupar around 4 a.m. Cars were lined up bumper-to-bumper as pilgrims made their way to early morning darshan.

–IANS

arc/rad