Puri: Thousands of people thronged the Jagannath temple in Puri to offer prayers to the deities and seek blessings on the first day of 2017. They sought the blessings of the deities for a peaceful year.
Visitors also crowded the Chandrabhaga beach and Konark temple to get a glimpse of sunrise on the first day of 2017.
Other places in Odisha especially tourist places were packed with picnickers.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also visited Puri to pay obeisance to the deities at the Sri Mandir on New Year.
The Chief Minister extended New Year wishes to the people of the state.
“Heartiest greetings and best wishes to everyone for a joyous, peaceful and healthy New Year 2017,” Patnaik posted on his Facebook page.
“As we look back and reflect on the past year, we can take satisfaction in the noteworthy accomplishments in our State’s development and progress as well as the positive impact of our efforts leading to betterment of lives of people. But this is not the end of journey yet. We have to be untiring and relentless in the pursuit of our goals of a developed, prosperous and empowered Odisha,” Patnaik added.