Welcome the year 2026… Crowd in temples across the country, long queues formed as soon as the doors opened.
Chennai/Bengaluru/Amaravati. New Year is celebrated across the country and in many states, people were seen celebrating with their loved ones amidst music and songs since Wednesday evening. While people in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh welcomed the New Year with parties and traditional rituals, celebrations were witnessed amid heavy rain and dense clouds in Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru, a large number of people welcomed 2026 by celebrating with music and lights on the night of 31 December. There was a festive atmosphere in the city’s commercial areas, IT corridors and residential areas since the evening.
Major hubs like MG Road, Church Street, Indiranagar and Brigade Road were ablaze with decorative lights and live music, with special events held in restaurants and pubs. At 12 o’clock in the night, amidst fireworks, people wished each other by cutting cakes and distributing sweets. For security, Bengaluru Police had deployed additional forces in sensitive areas and routes were changed. The crowd was controlled through CCTV and night patrolling and people were appealed to celebrate responsibly. Bengaluru’s modern party culture and traditional rituals showcase the city’s diverse culture.
As soon as Thursday morning, devotees flocked to the temples to seek blessings. People were seen standing in long queues with coconuts, incense sticks and flowers. There was a huge crowd at ‘Dodda Ganapathy’, ‘Dodda Basavanna’, Vasanth Vallabharaya and Banashankari Devi temples in Bengaluru, where priests performed various rituals including ‘Hom’. There was a steady flow of devotees in the major temples of Mysuru, Mangaluru, Sringeri and Udupi since morning.
Tamil Nadu welcomed 2026 at beaches and public places amid tight security by 1.10 lakh police personnel. Heavy rainfall occurred in many parts of the state on the first day of the year, which meteorologists described as the heaviest rainfall in a long time. Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister MK Stalin greeted the people for the New Year. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the state will move towards new heights of success in 2026 with the courage and lessons learned from past struggles. The Greater Chennai Police deployed 19,000 personnel and 1,500 home guards and conducted checks at 425 locations.
Police deployed 30 special teams to stop ‘bike racing’ at Guindy, Adyar and Thoraipakkam. The celebrations were limited to 1 am only, with a ban on sea bathing and fireworks at Marina Beach and other beaches. According to officials, surveillance was carried out with drones and mounted police on the beaches from Panayyur to Kovalam on the East Coast Road. Thousands of people enjoyed fireworks and music on major beaches of Chennai like Marina Beach, Eliot Beach and Besant Nagar. Despite the rain, fans started gathering outside superstar Rajinikanth’s house since morning, where the police controlled the crowd.
Long queues were seen at famous temples across the state like Kapaleshwar, Madurai Meenakshi and Rameshwaram. Due to cloud cover in Kanyakumari, thousands of people could not see the first sunrise of the year, which left them disappointed, people could not even see the last sunset of the year. People welcomed the New Year with enthusiasm in Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and other cities in Andhra Pradesh. Live music and DJ parties were organized in hotels and clubs under police surveillance on the Beach Road in Visakhapatnam. Tourists and locals enjoy the colorful lights and lively atmosphere on the coast.
Due to the coincidence of ‘Vaikuntha Ekadashi’ with the New Year in Tirupati, spiritual enthusiasm was seen and the temple was decorated grandly. Women cleaned the houses and made ‘Muggu’ (Rangoli) at the entrances and installed arches of mango leaves. Positive energy was welcomed by lighting oil lamps in the morning. Devotees prayed for good health and success by offering prayers in temples along with their families. This was followed by a traditional meal, which included dishes like Pulihora, Bobbatalu and Payasam. Governor S Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy greeted the people of the state.
Huge crowd of devotees gathered in temples on the occasion of New Year
On the occasion of New Year, on Thursday, a large number of devotees reached temples across Bihar for darshan and worship and took blessings. Despite the cold, a huge crowd of devotees was seen in the famous Mahavir temple of the capital Patna since early morning. A priest of the Mahavir temple said, “Devotees had started standing in the queue early in the morning even before the doors of the temple opened.” He said that proper arrangements have been made in the temple and devotees are offering prayers peacefully. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sanjay Saraogi also reached the temple in the morning and performed puja.
On the other hand, a large number of devotees were seen in the historical Aranya Devi temple located in Ara Nagar of Bhojpur district, about 50 kilometers from Patna. A devotee said, “We have deep faith in this temple because of the historical and spiritual beliefs associated with Treta and Dwapar Yuga.” He told that “From Lord Ram to Pandavas of Mahabharata, there is a belief of worshiping here and people’s wishes are fulfilled here.” The temple priest told reporters that in view of the huge crowd of devotees, the doors of the temple were opened at four in the morning. Long queues of devotees were also seen in the Pancharupi Mahavir Temple located in Rajvanshi Nagar of the capital Patna.
On New Year, crowds of devotees gathered in many temples including the hill temple of the capital Ranchi.
On the occasion of New Year 2026 in Jharkhand, a huge crowd of devotees gathered at the famous hill temple of the capital Ranchi today. Devotees started reaching the temple premises early in the morning and started the new year with prayers after having darshan of Lord Shiva. Long queues were seen in the hill temple since early morning. Devotees were seen patiently waiting for their turn. The temple complex echoed with the chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, due to which the entire atmosphere became devotional. People prayed to Lord Shiva for happiness, peace, health and prosperity in the new year.
In view of the increasing crowd of devotees, strict security arrangements were made by the district administration and police. Additional police forces were deployed in the temple premises and surrounding areas. Barricading was done for crowd control and surveillance was maintained through CCTV cameras. The administration appealed to the devotees to maintain discipline during darshan and follow the safety rules.
People believe that on the first day of the New Year, one should bow one’s head and pray for happiness, peace and prosperity throughout the year. Crowds of devotees started gathering in all the major religious places of the capital Ranchi since early morning. Long queues were seen for darshan at Pahari Temple, Durgabari, Kali Temple and Jagannath Temple. Overall, on the first day of the new year, a wonderful confluence of faith and devotion was seen in the hill temple.
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