The spike in Covid-19 cases cast a shadow on the Rama Navami celebrations in the city on Wednesday as the special pujas and distribution of fruit juice were limited to some areas only.
Men dressed up as Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman went around the city distributing masks to those who were not wearing one.
With the new guidelines dictating that temples should be closed to devotees, there was some confusion as to when the restrictions will set in.
At the Ramanjaneya temple in Vidyaranyapura, North Bengaluru, people queued up before the temple and social-distancing norms were not followed inside the premises.
There were over 15 devotees inside when this reporter visited the temple. "We came to check if the temple was open and are happy it is," said a mother-daughter duo.
A volunteer distributing refreshments said: “A curfew must be in place, but we are not sure about it. However, once we run out of this container of buttermilk, we will wrap up for the day”.
Other temples in the locality were closed and devotees were not permitted inside.
When DH contacted the ward’s BBMP office, they said they had not received any instructions about regulations for the festival and asked us to contact Ashok D A, Joint Commissioner, Yelahanka. However, he did not respond to multiple calls and messages.
(Published 21 April 2021, 19:39 IST)
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