New Delhi, Oct 1 Post the DDMA's order on reopening of religious places after five months, very few devotees were seen visiting the Jhandewalan Hanuman Mandir and Jhandewalan Devi temples in the Karol Bagh area of the capital.
"Many people still don't know about the order and others are just scared to visit temples, thinking they might be crowded here," Ayush Tiwari, Pujari (priest) at Jhandewalan for the last four years, said.
Just a week ahead of the Navratri festival, the Delhi government has allowed the reopening of religious places from Friday until October 15 with strict compliance to Covid-19 guidelines.
As per the fresh Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Thursday, large gatherings, along with melas, fairs, rallies, and processions will not be allowed in and around the premises.
"Devotees absence has affected the 'daan' (charity) but it did not hamper our daily routines. We do puja, archana as usual. The Akhand Ramayana, which began in 1994, is still going on as usual," Tiwari shared with .
In the absence of devotees, we pujaris either read or remain hooked to our phones, another priest named Pujari Mishra said, showing a YouTube video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi worshipping Ram Lalla during the foundation laying ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The premises of Jhandewalan Hanuman temple were quiet and vacant in comparison to the Jhandewalan Devi temple, situated almost a kilometre away from the former.
Ravinder Goyal, Trustee and Additional Manager at Jhandewalan Devi Mandir, told that they have been continuously arranging 'bhandaras' (religious feasts) as they used to in pre-Covid times. "Markets, liquor vends, schools, metros, buses all have been opened for public. If people are not getting infected outside in the markets, how can they get Covid in the temples. Most of the people have already got vaccinated. Delhi is also recording fewer Covid cases. Such strict restrictions should not be imposed on religious places only," he complained.
Preparations were on at this shrine to open up for the expected rush of devotees for the early morning 'aarti' at 6 a.m.
Priests at both the temples shared that although they used to stop people from entering the premises earlier, a few devotees would still enter and leave after offering prayers.
Govindlal, who takes care of the footwear of those who come to the temple, said that the pandemic has affected his livelihood badly, "Earlier, I used to earn Rs 300-400 daily, on Tuesdays and other special occasions, I used to earn up to Rs 1,000, but now, I am able to make only Rs 100-150 a day."
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