One dies in minor stampede at Jagannath temple in Odisha

An old man died in a minor stampede-like situation on Wednesday in front of the Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri town.

Police said Nidhi Behera from Nayagarh district died due to the heat and intense pressure while standing in a queue at a barricade at the Bada Danda (grand road) leading to the temple.

He was admitted in the district hospital, where he breathed his last, police said.

Puri Additional Superintendent of Police Banabihari Sahu said there was no major mishap during 'Paya Shradh', when lakhs of devotees pay respects to their departed kin at the temple.

They pay obeisance to their ancestors through a unique ritual known as 'Badabadua Daka' that begins in the morning of Diwali and continues till late evening.

Devotees hold ignited jute stems to invoke their ancestors and to seek their blesssings, said sources.