Bhubaneswar, 16th Oct 2025: On the first Monday of the holy month of Kartika, more than 10,000 devotees visited Shree Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar to have darshan of the deity. From the early morning hours, a large number of ‘Habisialis’ (Kartika month devotees) and other worshippers gathered in the temple.
The crowd stretched from Singhadwara (main entrance) to Ganga-Yamuna Temple, forming a long queue of devotees. The temple remained crowded until about 12:30 PM, after which the footfall gradually decreased.
To ensure the safety and smooth movement of devotees, elaborate security arrangements were made by the Lingaraj Police Station and temple administration. For better crowd control, a one-way movement system was implemented — devotees were allowed to enter through Singhadwara and exit via the North Gate.
Dignitaries Visit on First Kartika Monday
Justice D.P. Choudhury, who was reportedly involved in preparing the temple’s ownership document, also visited Shree Lingaraj Temple and had darshan. He was accompanied by the temple supervisor Rajkishore Mahapatra, who facilitated the darshan and puja.
Similarly, former BJD Minister Pritiranjan Ghadei visited the temple in the evening with his family. Rajkishore Mahapatra also guided them for darshan and puja rituals.
On this auspicious Monday, Lingaraj and Ananta Vasudeva Temples saw a huge turnout of devotees for ‘Abadha Bhoga’ (sacred temple food offering).
Abadha Distribution & Rain Disruption
Biranchi Narayan, a Brahmin associated with the Brahmin Niyoga Samiti, mentioned that due to rain, the preparation and sale of Abadha were slightly affected. Many devotees got drenched in the rain, and umbrellas were rendered useless.
About 3,000 devotees were served Abadha Bhoga at both Lingaraj and Vasudeva Temples, though a large portion of the food was left over or went unsold due to the weather conditions.
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