This story is from June 9, 2020

Somnath, Dwarka temples open cautiously

Somnath, Dwarka temples open cautiously
While Somnath temple opened for locals on Monday, the authorities at Mahakali temple at Pavagadh decided not to open the place of worship for now
RAJKOT/VADDOARA: Abode of the Gods in Saurashtra, including Somnath and Dwarkadish temples, opened their doors to public after 80 days on Monday.
Devotees were strictly instructed to wear masks, gloves and follow social distancing while getting a darshan. Also, limited number of people were allowed to enter the temples and were ushered out immediately after praying. The devotees are neither allowed aarti nor prostrating on the floor for benediction.
All temples are scanning devotees outside the entry gate with temperature guns as well as sanitizing hands.

However, two major pilgrimage sites near Vadodara, including the Mahakali Temple at Pavagadh and Kuber Bhandari temple at Karnali, have decided against opening their temples on Monday, a decision taken in view of devotees’ safety and other reasons.
One of the 12 Jyotirlingas, the Somnath temple opened with only a handful of devotees on the first day as those above 65 years and less then 10 years of age aren’t permitted. The temple has also revised its timings to 7:30am to 11:30am and 12:30 pm to 6:30pm slots now. Devotees coming from other districts are told to book online appointments after June 12.
The Khodaldham temple at Kagvad near Rajkot also opened for devotees.
In wake of the ongoing development work on the Pavagadh mountain and other development works, the authorities at the Mahakali Temple decided against opening the temple. Trustee and secretary of Shri Kalika Mataji Mandir Trust, Raju Bhatt, appealed devotees to worship at their residences itself till June 20.

The trust at Kuber Bhandari on the banks of Narmada river has also decided to wait till June 22 to open their doors. This was done for devotees’ safety as the premises of the temple is small, said manager of the trust Rajni Pandya. He said that this was to prevent spreading infection in the rural areas.
The Havelis of Vaishnav sect will, however, remain closed till June 21 in Rajkot.
Mosques too opened with caution. Javed Dhupelwala, a minority leader in Vadodara, said that most mosques had opened on Monday following strict social distancing norms.
“Elderly and small children below 10 years of age have been asked to stay away. People also wore masks while offering namaz in the mosques. Announcements regarding precautionary measures are also being made,” he said.
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