Guruvayur temple opened, devotees stick to COVID-19 norms

The Lord Krishna temple in Guruvayur in Kerala was opened on Thursday with devotees following COVID-19 protocol.

The temple, about 27 km from here, was closed on March 24 when the nation-wide lockdown was implemented and was opened for five days in June.

As part of the COVID-19 protocol, the temple authorities have started allowing darshan for 1,000 people from today after they registered themselves through an online portal.

The temple would remain open from 9.30 AM to 12. 30 PM and from 5 PM to 6 PM. "We have arranged the darshan by strictly following the social distancing norms. We have marked designated places for the devotees to line up with a space of one metre between one another. All of them should wear masks. Sanitisers have also been arranged," a senior temple source told PTI.

The temple also has permission to conduct 60 weddings per day.

Meanwhile, the Sree Krishna Jayanti or Janmashtami was celebrated in the state in a low-key manner adhering to the COVID-19 protocol.

The usual "Shobhayathra", a colourful procession, in which children dress up as Krishna and Radha with music and dance was cancelled this time due to COVID-19. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wished the devotees on the occasion of Sree Krishna Jayanti.

"Let the day mark celebrations of love and brotherhood," Vijayan said.