Patna’s Mahavir Mandir offers home delivery of navedyam

Amid fears of spread of Coronavirus, Patna’s revered Mahavir Mandir, which draws thousands of devotees every day, has offered online facility and doorstep delivery

Amid fears of spread of Coronavirus, Patna’s revered Mahavir Mandir, which draws thousands of devotees every day, has offered online facility and doorstep delivery of ‘naivedyam’ to ensure drop in footfalls.

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The impact of deadly Coronavirus has led to a reduced footfall at over 300-year-old Mahavir Mandir. In the last few days, the temple has also taken a number of steps, including regular decontamination of the premises, use of infrared thermal scanners, hand sanitization of visitors, live darshan arrangement from 5 am to 11 pm and ban on large congregations.

Mahavir Mandir secretary Acharya Kishor Kunal on Friday told media persons that devotees could now avail online facility for ‘navedyam’ by sending their requests on mahavirnaivedyam@gmail.com or 9334468400 WhatsApp number. “All details are on the temple’s website. If the bookings are done by 4 pm, the ‘naivedyam’ will reach the devotees at the given address the same day after puja and if the bookings are done after 4 pm, it will reach the devotees the next day,” he said.

As Mahavir Mandir is the most sought destination on the Ram Navmi day, with up to 3-4 lakh devotees reaching there and serpentine queues stretching for over a kilometre, it will be a big challenge for the temple administration. Ram Navmi falls on April 2, four days before the Mahavir Jayanti.

Kunal said the online facility would be extended if the situation remained like this. “We will assess the situation, as huge congregations could not be allowed when the entire nation was in alert mood. Precautions can be taken only to a manageable extent. We are also working on making arrangements for puja at home on important occasions by sending priests.,” he said.

“We have already imposed a lot of restrictions. This temple is different from others like Jagannathpuri and Tirupati. On normal days, it witnesses up to 30,000-35,000 devotees on Saturdays and over 50,000 on Tuesdays. Hundreds of devotees normally visit the temple every day, unlike other temples where people plan their visit and go. But we are alert and taking all possible measures to prevent crowding,” said Kunal.

The temple is located adjacent to Patna Junction railway station, an area crowded with roadside vendors, taxi and bus stands.