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The walk of faith: physically distanced, with safety top priority
Only 50 people were allowed inside the main temple at Dehu for the ‘Palkhi Prasthanam,’ as per orders by the state government.
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The 335th annual palkhi of Sant Tukaram Maharaj pilgrimage to Pandharpur began on Friday at Dehu sans the usual lakhs of believers, amid the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Only 50 people were allowed inside the main temple at Dehu for the ‘Palkhi Prasthanam,’ as per orders by the state government.
Madhukar Maharaj More, president, Sant Tukaram Maharaj Dehu Sansthan, performed the puja of ‘paduka’ and palakhi. On this occasion, Shrirang Barne, member of parliament, MLA Sunil Shelke along with his wife Sarika Shelke, Geeta Gaikwad, tehsildar, Dehu and few other officials were present during the occasion.
“Safety of devotees is our priority during this Covid-19 pandemic. During the puja all safety precautions were followed,” said More.
State deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had held a meeting with members of the Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Sansthan, along with Pune district collector and other government officials regarding the traditional event. It was then decided that only the ‘Prasthanam’ will be done and later on the ‘Paduka’s’ of both the saints will be taken in a vehicle to Pandharpur.
Heavy police bandobast was deployed in and around Dehu village so that warkaris and the common public do not join the event at Dehu. Taking all the safety precautions as per traditional rituals the Palakhi moved out from the temple at around 2 pm.
Naval Kishore Ram, Pune district collector, said, “Dehu and Alandi both the villages do not come under the containment zones in Pune district, still all the social distancing norms and precautionary measures need to be followed by people.”
Meanwhile, lakhs of devotees could watch the event live through news channels and videos released by the temple administration and other online portals.
