Bhadrak: The Mahashivaratri festival at the famous Shiva shrine of Aradi will be held under the basis of Covid guidelines issued by the special relief commissioner as the district administration clamped prohibitory orders Section-144 in and around the temple shrine, Monday.
The Mahashivaratri festival will be held in the shrine, March 1. In the festival, devotees from Nandapur, Aradi, Sundarpur and Olag panchayats will be permitted to visit the temple and have darshan of the deity on the basis of Covid guidelines.
The permission to residents of four panchayats has sparked a row with people flaying teh decision. During the festival only one servitor will be allowed to perform rituals inside the temple while no public address systems can be used during the period.
The district administration has issued the order to avoid congregation of large number of devotees during the festival.
The prohibitory order has been clamped in and around the shrine by Manoj Patra, Bhadrak sub-collector and sub-divisional magistrate. All communication from the river ghats and other routes connecting the temple shrine will stop from 6pm, Monday and will remain in force till 10 am, March 2.