Around 3,000 temples in and around Chennai are set to be reopened on Monday following the government decision to relax lockdown conditions.
Temple authorities in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpettu districts have begun cleaning and sanitising temples and setting up barricades to form queues.
“We will be following the same set of protocols as the last time. We will not allow people to prostrate or sit down inside the prakarams or touch idols on the walls or ring bells. Elders above 60 years of age, those with comorbities, children below 10 years of age and women who are pregnant will not be allowed inside,” said an official of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.
On the need for reopening temples, an official said that apart from protests by a section of people, devotees were calling up their recently launched helpline at 044-28339999 and asking when temples would be reopened. Around 60% of the calls were related to this, he said.
Helpline timings
Devotees can call the helpline on all working days between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and log in complaints relating to temple lands or Thiruppani works needed for temples or even allegations relating to the running of temples in their areas.
Balashanmugam, a devotee, said that last time, many small temples did not have hand sanitisers. “They did not maintain social distancing either,” he said.
On Saturday, Minister P.K. Sekar Babu inaugurated a free COVID-19 testing camp for staff, including archakas and bhattacharyas.
