Following relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown, over 1,400 temples in Coimbatore district and 381 in Tiruppur district under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department were reopened to the public on Tuesday.
Two of the most prominent temples in the district - Subramanyaswami Temple in Marudamalai and Patteeswarar Temple in Perur - were opened at 6 a.m, officials said. “We are expecting crowd on Sundays as Tuesday was a working day,” a senior official, who inspected the Marudamalai temple on Tuesday, said. Apart from the standard operating procedures issued for the temples by the State government, additional measures would be implemented depending on the situation, the official added.
At Koniamman Temple, devotees were screened at the entrance using thermal scanners and were asked to wash their hands before entering the temple. None of the temples in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts reported overcrowding of devotees.
In Erode district, all the religious establishments were reopened. At the Bannari Amman Temple in Sathyamangalam taluk, automatic hand sanitiser dispenser was installed. Also, thermal screening of devotees was done and only devotees wearing mask were allowed inside. They were not allowed to carry garlands or pooja materials.
Likewise, administrations of Bhavani Sangameswarar Temple, Magudeswarar Temple at Kodumudi, Kottai Mariamman Temple and Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal temple in the city made safety arrangements for devotees. Shops outside the temples did little business as the flow of devotees was less.
While prayers were offered at mosques and dargahs, church managements said that they were planning for Sunday mass.
In Salem, over 200 major temples were opened. A. Natarajan, Joint Commissioner, HR & CE department, Salem Division, said temples had to be closed by 8 p.m.
Officials said close to 450 major temples in Salem, Namakkal, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts were opened. Prasadams were offered in packets and at temples where there was annadhanam, food packets were provided.
S.R. Anwar, Mutawalli from Salem Jamia Masjid Trust Board, said all masjids in the district were opened and physical distancing norms were followed. The entire premises was sanitised and thermal scanners were used. Separate entry and exit points had been ensured, he said.
In the Nilgiris, the district administration said temples, churches, mosques and other places of worship would be allowed to reopen with only 20 people remaining inside the premises at any particular time.
