Cuttack: Cuttack’s famous goddess shrine Chandi temple Friday opened for the public after a gap of nine months.
The temple was closed for devotees amid COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown that mandated religious places of worship to stay closed.
Many devotees were seen standing in a queue outside the temple to have a darshan of the goddess.
Meanwhile, the temple authorities had made necessary arrangements so that the devotees can have hassle-free darshan of the goddess while following COVID-19 guidelines strictly.
The temple administration had decked up the temple in rangoli and flowers. At a time only 20 devotees were being allowed to enter into the temple. To this end, the temple authority had made a token system.
Police personnel have also been deployed at the site to keep a check on proper implementation of COVID-19 guidelines.
Apart from Cuttack Chandi, famous Dhabaleswar temple near Athagarh town in Cuttack district also reopened Friday.
However, only the families of the servitors were allowed to have darshan of Lord Dhabaleswar Friday. Similarly, the residents of the Mancheswar Gram Panchayat (the GP is situated near the temple) will visit the temple January 9 and 10. The temple will reopen for all the devotees after January 11.
A maximum of 50 people will be permitted to enter the temple at a time with strict adherence of COVID-19 guidelines.
PNN