A stampede outside a temple in India's eastern Jharkhand state leaves at least 11 dead and dozens more injured. 

Police said the incident took place early morning on Monday after thousands of pilgrims rushed towards the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple complex in the town of Deoghar.

As news spread that the temple gates were opening in the morning, a number of devotees who were still sleeping in a queue measuring more than six kilometers (four miles) long, were crushed to death by the crowd.

Authorities said an exceptionally large crowd of pilgrims gathered to visit the temple complex this year, which includes a main temple and 21 smaller ones devoted to Shiva, the Hindu destruction deity.

Stampedes are common at India's religious festivals, where both people and police are often overwhelmed by the size of the crowds.

Last month, a stampede killed at least 27 pilgrims in Rajahmundry, on the border of the twin southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a message on social media, expressing sorrow over the incident saying he was "pained" by the deaths and that he prayed for the quick recovery of those injured in the stampede.

The Jharkhand government has announced that it would give 200,000 rupees ($3,100) in compensation to the families of those killed, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.