With the Maharashtra government allowing temples and other places of worship to reopen from November 16, devotees on Monday visited Mumbai's iconic Siddhivinayak Temple. Religious places in Maharashtra, which have been shut since a COVID-19 lockdown was imposed in March.
"I feel fortunate that I visited the temple in the New Year, after Diwali. I'm very happy. All COVID-19 precautionary measures are being taken here," a devotee visiting the temple, told news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, Siddhivinayak Temple has come out with a list of SoPs to ensure the safety of the devotees. Among them include booking of darshan through a dedicated app and live streaming of pooja.
Here is the full list of SoPs:
The Siddhivinayak Temple Trust has prepared a mobile application through which devotees can book their appointments for darshan beginning Monday.
Only 1,000 devotees will be allowed inside famous Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai every day beginning Monday in staggered time slots to be booked through a mobile phone application.
Devotees will have to download 'Shri Siddhivinayak temple' application on their mobile phones to book slot for darshan. They will need to fill in their details and book an appointment, following which a QR code will be generated with a time slot. QR codes for 1,000 people will be generated during the day.
The access barrier will open only if a visiting devotee's body temperature is normal and he/she is wearing a mask.
To start with, 100 people will be allowed inside the temple every hour except during 'aarti' and 'puja' rituals.
Siddhivinayak Temple Trust has appealed to senior citizens to avail darshan of Lord Ganesh on the mobile app until the COVID-19 situation returns to normalcy.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday announced that places of religious worship will reopen from Monday. As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) released by the state government, religious places located out of COVID-19 containment zones will be allowed to remain open as per the timings decided by authorities, and devotees will be allowed inside in a staggered manner.
