City temples reopen today; scanning must for devotees

Prayajraj: Temples of the city will reopen from Monday with all social distancing norms in place. Devotees will be allowed to enter only after undergoing thermal scanning.
At Maa Kalyani Devi Temple, authorities informed that a volunteer would screen each devotee entering the temple premises and ensure that they follow all social distancing norms. The temple has also been sanitized before it reopens on Monday.
Chief priest of Maa Kalyani Devi temple, Pt Shyam Ji Pathak, told TOI, “We have made special arrangements to follow the guidelines issued by the district authorities. Apart from thermal scanning, devotees will be made to stand in circles drawn on the temple floor. They will also asked to sanitize their hands before entering.”
Several notices have been put up on the temple premises, urging devotees to wear masks and not to touch idols, bells and other articles.
“Shitla Asthami is round the corner, and many devotees will attend special prayers that will be organised on temple premises. We have already apprised the police station concerned to manage the crowd,” added the chief priest. Head priest at Rajapur Hanuman temple, Pt Shri Krishna Pandey, said, “We have appealed to the devotees to maintain social distancing. Only five devotees will be allowed to enter the temple at a time. A team of volunteers guide the devotees.”
At Bhayharan Nath Dham in Pratapgarh, volunteers of Har Har Gange Sewa Trust, along with the priest of the Dham, conducted sanitization drive in and around Dham campus.
Temple authorities have, however, made it clear that no devotees would be allowed to offer flowers or prasad within the temple, informed general secretary of the Dham, Samaj Shekhar.Meanwhile, the gate of the famous Bade Hanuman temple located at Sangam will reopen for devotees on Monday after a gap of more than 10 weeks. However, no devotees will be allowed to enter without mask or sanitized hands. Touching idols placed inside any of the temples of the city is strictly prohibited. . Authorities of all prominent temples of the city sanitized their premises and drew circles on the floor in order to ensure proper social distancing.