Puri: An old lady devotee collapsed due to heat while many others felt suffocation due to heavy rush in the Sri Jagannath temple on Wednesday on the occasion of Mina Sankranti.
The pilgrims are allowed into the temple in phases in a queue through Simhadwar and Western gates and exit through North and South gates.
On Wednesday morning at about 10 am the darshan was closed for one hour for the offering of Gopal bhog to the presiding deities of the temple for which the devotees were prevented from entering and allowed to wait in the shed erected close to the gates.
The entry passage to the temple gates was narrowed due to ongoing Parikrama work. Heavy rush culminated in pushing and pulling among the devotees to remain ahead of others in the queue.
Sources said at the Western gate shed an old lady devotee collapsed because of heat and was pushed by others. She was taken out of the shed by her family members and is out of danger it is learnt.
Puri Superintendent of police K. Vishal Singh told media persons that there was no stampede in the temple.
He said an adequate number of police personnel and temple security officials were deployed in and around the temple to regulate the pilgrim traffic.
