Ayodhya temple opens with coronavirus precautions in place
The Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya opened to devotees after a gap of over two months on Monday with precautions in place to prevent the coronavirus spread. The temple will be open for eight hours from 8 am to 1 pm and then 3 pm to 6 pm every day.
The Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya opened to devotees after a gap of over two months on Monday (June 8) with precautions in place to prevent the coronavirus spread. The temple will be open for eight hours from 8 am to 1 pm and then 3 pm to 6 pm every day.
On the first day, very few devotees came to the temple with the authorities restricting the number of people to five at a time at the places of worship during the current phase of the coronavirus lockdown.
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According to Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of the temple, only five people will be allowed to pay obeisance at a time and that too 15 metres away from the idol of Ram Lalla.
“No prasad will be allowed as earlier. Devotees will have to follow the coronavirus protocol,” he said.
Resident Magistrate KD Sharma said though prasad is not allowed, devotees can put money in the donation box. When asked that due to the restrictions very few people will be able to pay obeisance at the temple, he said, “Nowadays, people are likely to come in less numbers. So, there will be no problem. As the footfall increases, we will decide accordingly.”
Meanwhile, the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is set to begin Wednesday when the first bricks will be laid for its foundation, according to a spokesperson for the head of the temple trust. The event will be marked by prayers to Lord Shiva at the Kuber Tila shrine on the Ram Janmabhoomi site.
