Amidst the rising COVID-19 cases, Mahakal temple administration committee has barred devotees coming from outside Madhya Pradesh to visit the temple.
Temple administrator has confirmed it to Free Press that the devotees only from MP will be allowed to visit the temple.
The temple was recently in the news after the dreaded gangster Vikas Dubey was arrested at the courtyard of the temple. It is also said that he surrendered in order to evade encounter. The gangster was later killed in an encounter by UP police.
Dubey had set up an ambush in Kanpur’s Bikru village when the policemen reached the spot. Dubey and his men, armed with AK-47s, fired from rooftops and eight cops were massacred.
Earlier, nearly eleven weeks after the nationwide lockdown the temple was opened on June 8 for devotees.
The 'bhasma aarti darshan' at the temple was suspended on March 16 and five days later, the management committee restricted the entry of devotees into the temple in view of the pandemic.
Followed by the arrest, in a drive to purify the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain Madhya Pradesh Congress leader and former minister, Sajjan Singh Verma on July 11 washed the entrance of the temple complex with Ganga Jal.
The Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, located around 175 km from Bhopal, is one of the 12 "jyotirlingas" in the country and attracts lakhs of devotees every year.
During the Hindu holy month of Shravan, around one lakh people visit the temple on Sundays and Mondays, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.