Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 9: Malls, restaurants and places of worship opened in Kerala on Tuesday morning after over two-and half months of Coronavirus induced lockdown. There were very few visitors in the malls and restaurants in the early hours and people preferred takeaways in eateries.
Various temples, including the famous Lord Krishna temple at Guruvayoor, a few churches and mosques opened in the state for the devotees. The Guruvayur shrine opened at 9.30 am and around 150 people, who had booked through virtual queue system, offered prayers.
Devotees wearing masks were seen standing adhering to the social distance norm. A faithful at the guruvayur temple said he had booked for darshan on Sunday and was happy to be offering worship after a long gap. "This is a realisation of a dream", he said.
In the state capital while the famed Lord Padmanabha swamy, Pazhavanangadi Ganapathy and Attukal Bhagavathy temples remained shut, the SreekanteshwaraShiva shrine and Lord Hanuman temple near the state assembly were among those which opened for darshan. The names, age and other details of the worshippers are also being collected by the temple authorities before letting people in. Another devotee said it was very painful not to go to the temple and expressed happiness over reopening of the shrines.
The virtual queue booking for devotees to offer worship at the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala would commence from Wednesday. Devotees from other states have to produce a Covid-19 negative certificate while booking,sources in the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), administers the temple, said.
The Ayyappa shrine would open from June 14 to 28 for the five day monthly pooja and temple festival and only 10 people would be allowed inside the shrine at a time, sources said.
Most of the over 1,200 temples under the TDB, have opened while those under the Nair Service Society (NSS), an organisation of the Nair community and few other shrines were shut. The state government, which had come under attack from the BJP and Hindu Aikya vedi for opening the temples in a "hasty manner" has maintained that the decision was taken in line with the Centre's Unlock-1 guidelines and said those opposing the move had earlier wanted devotees to be allowed into the shrines.
As per the centre's Standard Operating Procedures, social distancing should be followed in all the places of worship and devotees should wear face mask are among other precautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those above 65 and children below 10 years would not be allowed in places of worship, distribution of food, refreshments and offertory blessings (prasadams), sandalwood paste or ashes should be avoided. Thermal scanners to check body temperatures, sanitiisers, arrangements for washing hands, were all provided in the temples and other places of worship which opened this morning, In churches in the state capital, Kochi and Kozhikode, allowedthe faithful inside after disinfecting the place.
The orthodox church synod is being held on Tuesday which will take a decision on whether or not to open their places of worship. Few mosques were also open in some places.
Comments
If hindus start eating beef based on this, then price will increase 2-3 times more than today's rate....very bad....
Chaddis eating beef sukka as well.
Dear YOGESH...
Please carefully read the below verse from BG and ponder on it. Also REFLECT on y BG mentioned this here.
Bhagavad Gita 7:20
Those whose INTELLIGENCE has been stolen by MATERIAL DESIRES surrender onto Demigods (Besides TRUE GOD) and follow the particular rules and regulations of WORSHIP according to their own natures...
I think U should not worship the idols and statues instead worship the TRUE GOD who is formless (NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI). This is the TRUTH and U should follow the BG on this too...
Those who don't eat non veg. Should replace their pointed teeth to flat teeth.
Less intelligent people always want to imitate God and there activities without knowing the proper fact and reason behind the activities.
Like lord Shiva once consumed POISON. Can any ordinary human do this ,No. So we should not try to imitate God. But We should always follow the instructions given by them. God has given enough instructions through his word in BHAGAVAD Gita and other scripture. Where he instructed to offer him only four type of eatable things i.e. Leaf, Flower, Fruit and water and consume it. This is why, we should always try to follow God's instructions carefully rather than imitating his activity.
So what......and who gave you the list of God's diet......why don't you request your Hindu people to close now the restaurants which serves non veg......they will throw you in garbage....better be silent....
instead of looking at the fact and trying to know the TRUTH ,,, some cheddis are already blaming him blindly... when in fact intelligent will look for the truth.
Sita kidnapped When laxman was busy in hunting deer for their lunch. This story clearly tells about their love for meat.
Very well said. If entire hindus studies their scripture they will become non-vegetarian and stops idol worship without any delay.
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