New Year: Celebrations across the country, people begin 2024 by offering prayers

Puri(Odisha)[India], January 1 (ANI): As the eventful year of 2023 comes to an end, India welcomes 2024 with great fervour and joy. Cities across the country welcomed the new year by offering prayers.
Devotees in Odisha offered prayers to Lord Jagannath in Puri Srimandir on the first day of 2024. Temple doors were opened earlier at 1:40 AM for devotees to handle the New Year's rush.
"More than 1 lakh devotees have taken darshan at Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri from 2 am today," says Ashish Kumar Singh, IGP, Central range.
The turnout at the popular shrine on New Year's Day was unprecedented, Puri Police informed on Monday.
In Delhi, a New Year's aarti was performed at Jhandewalan Devi Temple, and huge crowds gathered at Connaught Place.
Agra's Tajmahal saw a large turnout. The city of Varanasi witnessed a huge demand for different types of flowers that devotees offered in temples.
Similarly, Kamarajar Salai in Chennai saw a large turnout, and Mall Road in Shimla was filled with people welcoming the upcoming year.

For the first time in the last few years in Jammu and Kashmir, New Year celebrations were held in Srinagar's Lal Chowk area, where people in large numbers gathered at Lal Chowk to welcome the New Year.
Devotees in Balighattam village of Anakapalli district in Andhra Pradesh paid homage to a Shivalinga with historical significance. The people of Siliguri offered prayers at Anandamoyi Kalibari temple.

People in Kerala thronged Sabarimala temple on New Year's Eve.
In Tamil Nadu, devotees gathered at Sri Ayyappan Temple and performed aarti.
Similarly, a large number of people visited the Shri Bhagya Lakshmi temple, Charminar in Hyderabad on the occasion of New Year.
Devotees and many celebrities from different parts of the country visited Tirumala Tirupati temple. Jammu and Kashmir Governor Manoj Sinha, Telangana Governor Tamil Sai Soundarya Rajan, Telangana Deputy CM Batti Vikramarka, Maharashtra minister and many VIPs and common devotees grandly celebrated the New Year.
Adhyapith Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata received a large number of devotees.
People of every age group including the elderly and children in Bhopal welcomed the New Year by offering prayers at Kali temple. (ANI)