Bhubaneswar, April 25 -- The mercury is on an upward trend, adversely affecting normal life in Odisha owing to severe hot and humid conditions prevailing for over one week now. Despite the gruelling weather conditions, devotees are thronging in large numbers to have the darshan of Lord Jagannath at Puri Srimandir.

Though devotion seems to be winning against the adversaries on the ground, scores of devotees are also bearing the brunt of scorching heatwave conditions by waiting for hours, standing in queues under the sun. The elderly devotees, women and children are the worst sufferers.

o reach the shed, devotees have to experience the heat of the ground as they have to walk barefoot upto the shed. The entire period up to the shed is like...