Puri Rath Yatra 2025: Stampede Near Shree Gundicha Temple Leaves Three Dead, Several Injured🙏

Tragic Stampede near Puri’s Gundicha Temple: 3 Devotees Dead, Several Injured🙏

Incident Overview📍

At least three people lost their lives and several others were injured in a stampede near Saradhabali, close to the Gundicha Temple in Puri, early Sunday morning, according to PTI reports.

The incident occurred around 4 am when hundreds of devotees had gathered near the temple, Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain confirmed. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, with the condition of six reported as critical. The deceased were identified as Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das from Balipatna. Visuals from the postmortem centre showed grieving families gathered outside.

Eyewitness Accounts👁️

A man who lost his wife in the tragedy expressed anguish, saying, “When this incident happened, no one responded – neither fire officials, rescue teams, nor the hospital staff. This is a pathetic incident that cannot be expressed…”

Swadhin Kumar Panda, a local resident, criticised the mismanagement, stating, “I was near the temple till 2-3 am last night, but the management was not good. A new path was created for VIPs while common devotees were made to exit from a distance. Many began exiting through the entrance itself, worsening the crowding. The traffic system was poor, with unauthorised vehicles reaching near the temple. The administration failed to control the crowd. The biggest problem was the exit gate. Many people also died on Rath Yatra day, but the government denied casualties then. Today, three have died – two women and a man. The Odisha administration is responsible. There was no police or administration present at night.”

Political Reactions💬

Odisha Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his condolences, stating, “I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the three devotees who lost their lives in the tragic stampede at Saradhabali, Puri. I pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannatha for the swift recovery of those injured. Today’s stampede, just a day after the crowd management failure during the Rath Yatra that left hundreds injured, exposes the government’s glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival for devotees.”

Context of the Incident🗓️

The stampede occurred on the third day of the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, during which devotees from across the world gather to witness and participate in the grand procession. The festival commenced on Friday, with thousands pulling the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple amid chanting, drumbeats, and deep spiritual fervour.