Lingaraj temple in Odisha opens to devotees

The famous Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar will reopen for devotees from September 1 with strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines, the temple officials said.

As per the guidelines issued by the Shree Lingaraj temple trust, only those devotees who have taken both doses of Covid vaccine will be allowed to enter the shrine.

However, the authorities have prohibited the entry of devotees into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

A maximum number of 100 devotees can enter through the Lion's Gate to offer prayers to Lord Lingaraj at a time. The servitors have been directed not to accept any offerings from the devotees, who will be allowed to have 'darshan' only, the guidelines said.

The temple management has also decided to allow the servitors with RT-PCR negative reports along with certificates of double doses of vaccination to perform the rituals in the temple. In addition, wearing of marks is mandatory for them.

All devotees have been asked to wear masks and maintain a distance of six feet between each other. Thermal screening of devotees will be conducted at the entrance of the temple.

The temple trust has also warned of revoking the decision to reopen the temple in case of violation of Covid protocols.

Earlier on Friday, a team from the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and officials from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation visited the temple and inspected the condition of the 11th century shrine.