India's biggest temples brace for New Year 2026 crowds
With New Year's Eve around the corner, major temples like Vaishno Devi, Kashi Vishwanath, Puri Jagannath, and Ayodhya Ram Mandir are rolling out tight security and new rules to handle massive crowds.
The goal: keep everyone safe and make sure things run smoothly as lakhs of devotees show up to ring in 2026.
How are temples handling the rush?
Puri Jagannath Temple has put up 344 CCTV cameras and brought in 70 police platoons to manage an expected three lakh visitors on January 1.
At Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, VIP access is on hold—only regular queue-based darshan is allowed.
Vaishno Devi has ramped up patrolling to keep things safe.
Meanwhile, Ayodhya is using zoning, vehicle checks, and extra surveillance; Mathura-Vrindavan has traffic curbs.
Why does it matter?
If you're planning a temple visit or just curious about how big events get managed in India, this shows how seriously crowd safety is taken—especially when millions might be celebrating at once.
It's a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes effort that keeps these traditions running smoothly every year.