Ranchi, Oct 7 After a gap of nearly seven months, temples in Jharkhand will open for devotees from Thursday.
The Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government had issued the guidelines for opening of temples on October 1. The state government has also allowed the celebration of Durga Puja with some restrictions.
Officials visited the important temples of the state and issued guidelines for the devotees. Ramgarh district administration officials visited Maa Chhinamastika temple on Wednesday to review the preparations for the reopening of the temple.
Maa Chhinamastika temple is one of the 52 Shaktipeeths of the country.
According to the guidelines, any devotee without a mask will not be allowed to enter the temple and the devout will have to carry sanitisers with them. In the 'Garbh Grih' only five people will be allowed at one time. The temple will be opened after the morning prayers. A maximum of 100 people will be allowed in the temple premises at one time while only 150 devotees will allowed in the queue for entry to the complex.
In the Shiva temple, devotees will not be allowed to touch the Shivalinga. People will be allowed to offer water from a distance only through the 'argha' system.
The Shiva temple of Deoghar had been opened earlier on the directive of the Supreme Court. Only 100 devotees are allowed at one time to perform prayers in Deoghar temple, which is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
Durga Puja will be organised with Covid-19 protocols in place.
The state government guidelines said that Durga Puja may also be performed in a specially selected small Pandal where it has been done traditionally. It will be done with the objective of performing rituals without public participation for which the Puja pandals shall be covered from all sides to prevent any public view of the idols. Moreover, these pandals would not be constructed on any theme.
The idol will not be more than four feet high. The order said that there shall be no decoration or lighting in the area around the Puja pandal nor will welcome gates or Toran Dwar be erected in and around the Puja pandals. Barring the area where the idol is placed the rest of the Puja pandal will be fully ventilated. There will be no use of the public address system and food stalls will not be allowed in and around the Durga Puja pandal.
( With inputs from IANS )
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