‘Not scared of Covid-19’: Devotees crowd Kashi Vishwanath Temple despite curbs

There was a brazen violation of Covid appropriate behaviour as very few of the devotees were seen wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, news agency ANI reported.

Published on: Aug 2, 2021, 14:14:09 IST

By hindustantimes.com | Written by Harshit Sabarwal | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, New Delhi

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Hundreds of devotees thronged the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi as they took a holy dip in the Ganga and offered prayers on the second Monday of the holy month of Sawan despite being warned by the authorities to follow all coronavirus disease (Covid-19) related regulations. There was a brazen violation of Covid appropriate behaviour as very few of the devotees were seen wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, news agency ANI reported.

Devotees queued up outside the Kashi Vishwanath temple. (PTI file photo)

“I am not afraid of anyone in Lord Shiva’s place. Lord Shiva will take care of everything,” Ravinder Kumar, one of the devotees who was not wearing a mask, told ANI. Another maskless devotee, A Ram Patel, told the news agency he was happy to be present at the temple and he was not scared of Covid-19.

Prahlad Panday, a priest at the temple, echoed the remarks of the devotees and said Covid-19 does not stand a chance in front of Baba Bholenath, another name for Lord Shiva.

Sawan or Shravana is the fifth month in the Hindu calendar and is considered to be the most auspicious month. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe. This time, Sawan started on July 25 and will end on August 22. It is a traditional practice by devotees to observe a special fast and visit temples of Lord Shiva on Mondays during this period. However, due to the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been advised to observe the festival at home.

Uttar Pradesh’s caseload of coronavirus disease has climbed to 1,708,476 including 22,763 deaths, 1,685,049 recoveries and 664 active cases. On Sunday, the state recorded 36 new cases, of which three were from Varanasi. No deaths due to the viral disease were reported on Sunday across the state and 76 patients recovered from Covid-19.

(With ANI inputs)

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