Cyclone 'Biparjoy' : Dwarkadhish temple to remain shut on Thursday

DWARKA: In view of the expected landfall of powerful cyclone 'Biparjoy' near Jakhau port in Gujarat's Kutch on Thursday, the local administration has decided to keep the famous Dwarkadhish temple in Devbhumi Dwarka district shut for devotees, an official said on Wednesday.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall on Thursday evening as a ''very severe cyclonic storm'' with maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Sub Divisional Magistrate of Dwarka and administrator of the Dwarkadhish temple trust, Parth Talsania, said the temple will remain shut for devotees and visitors on Thursday.

The decision was taken for the safety and security of people in view of the cyclone warning, he said. Although devotees will not be allowed into the temple premises, daily rituals will be carried out inside by priests and people will be able to see it live on the temple website as well as social media handles.

In Gir Somnath district, the famous Somnath temple will remain open on Thursday, but the trust managing it has urged the devotees not to visit it.

As powerful cyclone 'Biparjoy' approaches the Gujarat coast, authorities have evacuated 50,000 people from vulnerable areas and deployed disaster management personnel for relief and rescue measures, officials said. Nine talukas in Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar and Rajkot districts received more than 50 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending on Wednesday morning, they said.