Devotees can watch Soorasamharam only on TV

Ahead of the week-long ‘Kanda Sashti’ celebrations beginning from November 15 to November 21 at Sri Dhandayuthapaniswamy Temple in Palani, District Collector M. Vijayalakshmi presided over a meeting to discuss the security arrangements made in which officials from the police, HR & CE, Health, Transport, Fire & Rescue Services and other departments participated here on Friday.

Since COVID-19 pandemic, all public places including places of worship have to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as per the WHO guidelines, which was released by the State government recently in its exit plan from the lockdown.

Though the curfew was in force, the government has only relaxed certain norms. Hence, the administration has sought the cooperation of the public. Already, in places of worship, senior citizens and children have been prohibited as a precautionary measure.

Curbs on darshan

Officials from the HR & CE told at the meeting that devotees shall be permitted in the temple only during the first five days (November 15 to November 19). The visiting devotees can register online and have to compulsorily wear face masks and adhere to physical distancing norms. The devotees can visit the shrine from 8 a.m. during these days.

On the sixth day, the soorasamharam celebrations would be performed in the absence of the devotees. Elaborate arrangements have been made to telecast the event live through television channels, local cable TVs and YouTube for the benefit of the devotees.

Similarly, on the final day, the celestial wedding too can be viewed only through TV channels and YouTube.

In a nutshell, devotees will not be permitted to visit the shrine on the last two days of the Kanda Sashti festival. This year, the ‘girivalam’ too shall remain out of bounds for the devotees. The shops along the stretch would be instructed to close down their business activities.

The Collector appealed to the devotees to cooperate and ensure that the event was conducted in a smooth manner.

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