Many places of worship open their doors for devotees

JAIPUR: Months after being shut in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many places of worship in the city opened their doors for devotees from Monday.
In Jaipur, Khole Ke Hanumanji at Laxman Dungri and Iskcon’s Akshay Patra on Goner Road reopened with precautionary measures in place.
Akshay Patra has decided to open from 10am to 1pm and 4.30pm to 7.30pm with restriction on the number of people who can visit at a time. Also, 32 temples in Jaipur district under Devasthan Department have reopened.
Akash Ranjan, officer at Devasthan Department, said, “We do not have high footfall in our temples. On normal days, the number does not go above 50 per day. So, it will be easier to tackle the situation. We have painted circles on the floor and posters for coronavirus awareness on the walls.”
Similarly, the 1,200-year-old Tanot Mateshwari temple on the Indo-Pak border and Baba Ramdeo temple in Ramdeora of Jaisalmer district opened for devotees on Monday as per the guidelines of the central government.
Jama Masjid, the biggest mosque in Jaipur with a capacity of 2,500, too started functioning from Monday. Mufti Syed Amjad Ali of Jama Masjid said, “We have made a rule that only half the capacity of the mosque will be filled to read namaz and maintain social distance. On normal days, our count does not cross more than 50, except on Friday. We have advised other mosques to follow the government guidelines.”
Ajmer Dargah too opened its doors on Monday. District authorities made a visit to the dargah to monitor the arrangements.
St. Andrews Church at Chandpole has decided to remain closed till September 30. Reverend Jagdish Sharma told TOI, “We were supposed to open on September 13 (Sunday). But with the rising number of cases, organising a mass with social distancing was an issue. So, our committee has decided to remain shut till September 30.”