Visuals of chaos at the entry gates of the Ayodhya Ram temple went viral the very next day of the consecration ceremony on January 22 as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims started arriving in the city for a darshan of Ram Lalla.

There were reports of large crowds at the gates and police barriers getting damaged in the jostling, raising questions about security management at the temple.

But now it's almost been a week of the ceremony, things are under control, according to Uttar Pradesh director general of police (law and order) Prashant Kumar, ”We have established a better queuing system for the devotees. We have deployed dedicated channels to ensure their smooth entry and exit in separate queues,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has appealed to the pilgrims to cooperate with officials to ensure a smooth darshan.

Devendra Kumar, a resident of Lucknow who visited the temple with his family, told INDIA TODAY that he had expected better crowd management on the lines of popular shrines in South India, such as the Tirupati Balaji temple. He felt that given the rush, it may not yet be convenient to visit the Ayodhya temple with children.

Atul Srivastava, a student from Prayagraj who paid a visit to Ayodhya with friends, said he has advised his family to wait a few weeks before attempting a darshan. “There is so much rush. We waited for seven hours to get darshan. But overall, we have no complaints and it was a joyous experience,” said Srivastava.

Police officials said checking of vehicles has been increased in Ayodhya as a security measure. Movable barriers with barbed wires can be spotted at almost every prominent intersection and police personnel have been tasked with regulating traffic.

Police officials said checking of vehicles has been increased in Ayodhya as a security measure. Movable barriers with barbed wires can be spotted at almost every prominent intersection and police personnel have been tasked with regulating traffic.

Officials indicated that a revamped crowd management plan would be put in place after analysing the daily footfalls at the Ram temple.