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Idol cleansing every day, temple to shut doors for first time in its history
The Dudheshwar Nath temple in old Ghaziabad city, a prominent religious place in western Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday decided to shut its doors to devotees from March
The Dudheshwar Nath temple in old Ghaziabad city, a prominent religious place in western Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday decided to shut its doors to devotees from March 21 to April 2, in view of the outbreak and spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
“The decision has been taken in order to protect lives. As far as my memory goes, the 500-year-old temple has never shut its doors in this manner. We remain closed only on days of solar or lunar eclipse. Now, owing to the coronavirus outbreak, we will take up the daily rituals behind closed doors,” temple mahant Narayan Giri said.
The temple is located in old Ghaziabad city and is often visited by the likes of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Ghaziabad Member of Parliament General (retired) VK Singh, and defence minister Raj Nath Singh, among others.
“Ever since the outbreak, we are cleaning the idols by 3.30am every day. We use a mixture of turmeric, sandalwood, and vermilion to disinfect the idols and clean them accordingly. Their clothes are also changed every day. Earlier, all these were done every fortnight on Ekadashi,” Giri said.
The temple authorities said the number of devotees has also dipped sharply over the past few days.
“During normal days, we get about 5,000 to 6,000 visitors a day but the number has dipped by about 80%. We do not have any thermal scanners, but local authorities are helping us out. Some priests are also wearing masks to ward off the infection,” the mahant said.
The temple complex also has a residential school for boys where children are imparted lessons in Vedic and Sanskrit studies.
“We have 80 boys studying here but they have been asked to go home. We have also asked most of our staff to stay home till the outbreak is contained and subdued. We have conveyed our decision to the district magistrate,” Giri said.
District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said the temple authorities have conveyed their decision to remain shut till April 2.
“As per the chief minister’s directions, we have asked all to take preventive measures and ensure cleanliness. Temple authorities and religious leaders of all faiths have also been requested to make people aware of the crisis and precautions to be taken,” he said.
