The decency dress code for the devotees visiting the 12th century Shree Jagannath temple in Puri has come into effect from Monday, coinciding with the beginning of the new year.

All the devotees were seen wearing non-objectionable dresses while entering the shrine for darshan. Even the ban on chewing paan and gutka inside the shrine came into effect on Monday.

Though the decision triggered a debate on moral policing, the temple administration thanked the devotees for abiding by its request to come to the shrine wearing appropriate and decent clothes.

The chief administrator of Puri Shree Jagannath Temple Ranjan Kumar Dash said: “We have not imposed any moral policing or any dress code but urged the devotees to be part of the temple’s effort to create a perfect ambience. We had earlier urged them not to come wearing tattered jeans, short pants, and flashy and sleeveless clothes. They followed it and did not wear clothes like shorts, ripped jeans, and skirts and exposed their body parts here on the temple premises.

Das said the decision was taken following a request from the sevitors (sevayats). “Earlier, we received a lot of complaints from the servitors about how some devotees came wearing clothes that were not proper and it vitiated the atmosphere of the shrine. That’s why we have decided to appeal to the people to follow a dress code.”

Das said, “Devotees also avoided chewing paan and gutka, We are not imposing any fine at this moment.”

Earlier, the AISF had objected to the administration’s decision saying it had no right to dictate what we should wear but no sort of protest was seen today.

The temple door was thrown upon devotees at 1. 40 am for darshan. A serpentine queue stretched up to two kilometres and devotees had to wait for nearly three hours to get a darshan of the deities. To ensure the devotees got a good darshan of the deities the police had made elaborate armaments.

“Record number of devotees throng to Puri to have a darshan of the deities. All had a good darshan of the deities. Everything went smoothly,” said inspector general of police Ashish Singh.

An eighty-five-metre tunnel-like corridor was created in front of the temple facing the shrine so that the people could wait there without facing inconvenience.

Thousands of people thronged to the Puri beach to see the sunrise and sunset. The entire beach stretch was made a no-vehicle zone.