MADURAI
Over 2,000 people visited the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple on Tuesday as winding lines of people formed all around starting from the eastern entrance outside the Amman Sannidhi. The lines grew at evening amidst the COVID-19 lockdown relaxations by the State Government.
Devotees who queued up, were made to stand in lines marked at a distance of six metres from one another to follow social distancing norms, said Joint Commissioner of Meenakshi Temple K. Chellathurai.
Temperature checks were done at the entrance and devotees who did not wear masks were disallowed from entering the temple.
“People left their footwear in the designation stands and took it by themselves when they left to avoid any sort of direct contacts between them and the temple staff,” said a source.
The Joint Commissioner said that people themselves were aware of not having to sit down inside the temple premises. “They merely came and offered prayers. It was a large but manageable crowd and four pujas were conducted during the day,” he said.
Flowers bought by devotees were seized by police personnel who were keeping a check. “Cell phones were not permitted inside the premises. A few people who brought them were made to keep them in our mobile phone locker areas,” a source said.
R. Mohanakrishnan, a 62 year-old devotee from Sellur who has been going to the temple for 22 years now, said that crowds similar to that of the annual celestial wedding arrived at the temple. “We were allowed in groups of 10s and only after sanitising our hands. Since we went as early as 6 a.m., we got to see deities by about 7.20 a.m. It was great to finally see Goddess Meenakshi after five months. The arrangements were good,” he said.
