As the Navratri 2021 kicks off, Mata Bajreshwari Temple in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra on Thursday, opened its door for devotees with negative RT-PCR reports or COVID-19 vaccination certificates of both doses, along with other COVID guidelines in place.
Speaking to ANI, Nipun Jindal, District Collector of Kangra said, "We have given directions to all the assistant commissioners related to COVID-19 protocols. Devotees will be allowed in the temple with either negative RT-PCR reports or COVID-19 vaccination certification of both doses."
The bells in the temple premises will be covered and the places/ surfaces which are more touched will be sanitized from time to time, he added.
In a bid to maintain social distancing in the temple, the collector further said that devotees will not be allowed in the temple altogether.
"Only a few people will be allowed in the temple for a certain period and only after they come out, more people will be sent inside the temple for darshan," Jindal further said.
"Extra force from battalion and home guards have been deployed in the district in order to maintain all the guidelines issued by the government," a police personnel Kushal Sharma said.
The temples in the Kangra district have been decorated with different types of beautiful flowers and devotees were seen happy in the temple.
Himanshu, a devotee from Delhi said, "We are fully prepared. We have received both doses of vaccination. We are wearing masks and avoiding going into the crowd. All the arrangements are proper in the temples here."
"The atmosphere is very good here. The temple is beautifully decorated with different types of flowers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we ourselves have to take care. But it was also necessary to come here as we believe in the goddess," another devotee from Delhi, Nisha said.
Shardiya Navratri begins from the first date of Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month, in which the divine forms of Maa Durga are worshipped for nine days. However, this year Navratri will last only for eight days, which have started from today and end on October 14.
( With inputs from ANI )
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