TIRUCHI
After a gap of over five months, major religious places of worship in Tiruchi and elsewhere in the region are set to reopen for public worship on Tuesday.
The authorities have put in place a set of measures to ensure personal distancing inside the places of worship and comply with the detailed standard operating procedures suggested by the State government.
Officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) have initiated various measures inside various temples in view of the decision allowing public worship from September 1. Markings have been made at the famous temples here such as the Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Arulmigu Mariamman Temple at Samayapuram, Sri Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari Temple, Tiruvanaikoil and the Rockfort Sri Thayumanaswamy Temple to ensure personal distancing within the temple premises.
Officials say devotees not wearing mask would not be allowed inside the shrines. In some shrines barricades have been put up to regulate movement of devotees. Devotees would be allowed only through the south gopuram at the Srirangam temple, said a HR & CE official. Similarly, the devotees would be allowed only through the main entrance of the Tiruvanaikoil temple, another official said adding that sanitisers would be kept at the entrance for the devotees to use it for their hands.
At Samayapuram temple, the HR & CE authorities have planned to screen all devotees using thermal scanners as a precautionary measure. The authorities have planned to conduct a 'Vigneswarar' pooja and other rituals in the early hours on Tuesday prior to allowing the devotees. “The devotees would be allowed in such manner ensuring personal distancing to offer worship to the main deities and keep moving,” said an official adding that they had not fixed any cap in respect of the number of devotees to be allowed on a day. The HR & CE officials have briefed their staff about the measures to be taken once the shrines were allowed for public worship from Tuesday onwards.
Similarly, devotees would be allowed at the major churches in Tiruchi for the service by strictly following the protocol laid down by the State government . All the mosques and dargahs in Tiruchi district would be open for devotees to offer their worship.
“Personal distancing would be ensured at mosques and devotees have been asked to wear mask. Sanitisers would be kept at the entrance of mosques,” said K. Jaleel Sulthan, Tiruchi district Government Khazi.