Shrines will open in Ujjain, but places of worship to remain shut in Bhopal, Indore

Shrines in Bhopal and Indore, two major Covid-19 hotspots in Madhya Pradesh, will not open their doors for devotees on Monday according to decisions taken by the administration in both districts on Sunday.

However, the famous Mahakal Temple and four other shrines in Ujjain city, another Covid-19 hotspot in the state, will see entry of devotees on Monday after closure of these shrines for more than two months now, according to the district administration.

Another famous temple in the state- Ma Peetambara Peeth at Datia will also allow entry of devotees on Monday. However, the facility of darshan will be limited to local devotees only. No more than 450 devotees will be allowed in a day, as per the district administration in Datia.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had on June 1 announced opening of the shrines across the state from June 8. However, he had made it clear earlier that decisions on commercial activities and other establishments will be taken by the district crisis management group in every district in view of the Covid-19 situation over there.

The decisions on shrines in Bhopal and Indore were taken by the respective district administrations on Sunday. There is no let-up in the Covid-19 situation in both the cities.

In Bhopal, the district administration in a meeting held under the chairmanship of collector Tarun Pithode in which various religious leaders also took part, decided not to allow opening of shrines for at least one week.

“The district administration decided not to allow opening of shrines till June 15. The next decision for will be taken on June 12,” said an official spokesperson.

After the district administration’s decision in Bhopal, Mushtaq Ali Nadvi made an appeal to committees of all the mosques in Bhopal to continue to follow the administration’s guidelines till further orders and ensure cleanliness and hygiene in mosques during the period.

Dr RR Patel, information officer in Indore, said, “The district administration has decided not to allow opening of shrines on Monday. The administration will assess the situation later to take a decision in this regard.”

Besides, the Mahakal Temple the shrines that will see people’s entry in Ujjain from Monday include Kal Bhairav Temple, Catholics Church, Jama Masjid and a Gurdwara, as per an administrative authority.

Ujjain district administration decided on opening of selected shrines in the city on Friday.

The administrator of Mahakal Temple management committee Sujan Singh Rawat said, “The first slot for devotees’ entry to the temple is 8 am to 10 am. The timing of darshan is till 6 pm. This makes it clear that no one will be allowed to watch Bhasm Aarti which is held early in the morning.”

As per decisions taken no shops selling prasad items and flowers will be allowed around Mahakal Temple. Only such devotees would be allowed to enter the temple premises who have got themselves registered one day in advance. No one will be allowed to attend four other aartis in the temple. Devotees will have to wear face masks and undergo a thermal screening. They will not be allowed to ring the bell and take prasad.

The temple premises will be sanitised every two hours. No more than 300-350 devotees will be allowed to remain present on the campus at a time and a maximum of 1000 devotees will be allowed to enter the temple premises in a day.

(With inputs from Anand Nigam in Ujjain).