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A Hindu temple in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan has opened a day after a stampede killed at least 147 people.

The stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur city happened after devotees panicked.

Scores more were injured in the crush. The state government has announced a judicial inquiry into the stampede.

There have been a number of recent deadly stampedes at Indian temples.

This is the fourth time this year that lives have been lost during a stampede at a religious festival in India.

Rudimentary

The BBC's Narayan Bareth in Jodhpur says while 20,000 people had gathered at the temple on Tuesday morning to mark the start of the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratra, only a handful of devotees turned up on Wednesday.

A day after the tragedy, the city appears to be in mourning, our correspondent says.

Thousands of people have visited the hospital where the injured are being treated.

People have accused the administration of not making enough arrangements at the temple to deal with the rush of devotees, says our correspondent.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan's Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia has ordered a judicial inquiry into the stampede.

A retired high court judge will later be named who will conduct the inquiry.

Crowd control at most religious shrines in India is usually rudimentary.

Last month 140 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a mountain temple in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

The Chamunda Devi temple is inside the huge 15th Century Mehrangarh Fort, high above Jodhpur's "blue city".

On Tuesday, thousands of people had made their way to the hill-top temple overlooking the city before dawn.

It is not entirely clear why the stampede happened, but something triggered panic among the thousands of men queuing in the narrow lane leading to the temple.

Hundreds rushed down the hill crushing those waiting at the bottom.

(BBC)

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