The Shree Jagannath Temple here is likely to throw open its gates to devotees before New Year after being closed for nine months due to COVID-19, the temple administration said on Saturday. The Shree Jagannath Temple Adminsitration (SJTA) chief administrator Krishan Kumar said the decision on reopening the temple was taken keeping in view the religious sentiments of the devotees and the COVID-19 protocol will be strictly observed when the 12th century shrine reopens. Jagannath Temple at Puri in January 2020. A meeting of temple servitors 'Chhatisa Nijog' was held and the SJTA will send its recommendations to the state government for the final approval to reopen the temple, he said. Kumar said that it is planned to reopen the temple on December 23 and the people of Puri will ge...
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The annual Sivagiri pilgrimage at Sivagiri mutt here in Kerala, observed annually in memory of social reformer and sage, Sree Narayana Guru, will be virtual this time in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. With less than 1000 pilgrims daily, online speeches and classes by dignitaries and no usual mass meetings and programmes, the 88th edition of the pilgrimage would be celebrated fully in adherence with the COVID protocols and guidelines. Mutt management sources here said preparations already began for the three-day pilgrimage. "This time, the pilgrimage will be in compliance with the strict COVID protocols. It will be held on December 30, 31 and January 1 as virtual pilgrimage," they said. To avoid heavy rush, only less than a thousand pilgrims would be allowed to enter Sivagi...
Read MoreThe chardham yatra came to an end on Thursday with the closure of the portals of Badrinath temple in the Garhwal Himalayas for the winter season. The temple gates were closed at 3.35 pm after an elaborate ritual performed by chief priest of the temple Ishwari Prasad Namboodri. The closure of the Badrinath temple marks the conclusion of this year's chardham yatra, which had started late due to the coronavirus outbreak. The remaining three Himalayan temples of Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri have already been closed. Badrinath temple was opened on 15th May. Badrinath Rawal, who are Namboodris of Kerala also reached Uttarakhand from Kannur on 20th April and was put into quarantine. Initially temple was scheduled to open on 30th April but then owing to all difficulties of...
Read MoreA day after portals of Gangotri were closed for the winters, the sacred portals of the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath were also closed for the winter season on Monday amid a fresh spell of snowfall. The gates of the temple, which houses one of the 11 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and attracts devotees from across the world, were closed at 8:30 am after an elaborate ceremony. The temple priest also performed a 'Samadhi Puja' of Lord Shiva. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath, and officials of Devasthanam Board, among others, attended the ceremony. Snowfall accompanied by a drizzle began in Kedarnath on Sunday night and continued till the morning. Ironically, this year Kedarnath region has experienced heavy snowfall and ev...
Read MoreThe portals of the Gangotri Temple here were closed for winters on the occasion of Annakoot-Govardhan Puja on Sunday. The temple gates were shut at 12:15 pm after a puja by priests in the presence of a large number of devotees, Uttarakhand Chardham Devasthanam Board media in-charge Harish Gaud said. After the closure of the temple gates, an idol of goddess Ganga was carried in a palanquin decorated with flowers to Mukhba village where she will be worshipped during winters. Gangotri temple Social distancing norms were followed during the closing ceremony attended by Gangotri Mandir Samiti president Suresh Semwal and local leaders among others. Gaud said 23,500 devotees visited the temple this year after it had a delayed opening in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Temple at...
Read MoreKhushvinder Singh is part of a 12-member group from Jammu who reached Katra before dawn to pay obeisance at the famous Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.The shrine along with other religious places across the Union Territory reopened for devotees on Sunday morning after remaining closed for almost five months due to the COVID-19 outbreak. "I used to come to the shrine at least once every month to offer my prayers. I feel blessed to be back on the first day of the reopening of the shrine," the 48-year-old Singh said. Singh had reached Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi shrine, around 4 am and was among the first batch to offer prayers at the sanctum sanctorum - the holy cave which is the ultimate destination of th...
Read MoreGoddess Nanda Devi dancing through her priests and followers at Latu temple in Waan village of Uttarakhand during the Nanda Devi Rajjat Yatra. Much awaited event of Yatra takes place at Latu temple atop a hill at Waan village. This village and the dance are one of the most important events of the Nanda Devi Rajjat Yatra, that happens once in minimum 12 years. The last of this 'Himalayan Kumbh', as it is called, started on 18th August 2014 and concluded on 7th September 2014. This 20 day, 290 km pilgrimage passes through some of the most beautiful and tough trekking routes in this part of Himalayan ranges. Latu is considered to be the brother of Goddess Nanda, and once the Yatra reaches at Waan, then on the further route its Latu who leads the yatra. https://youtu.be/KxqEkszoqe4 ...
Read MoreThe Kiswa, the finely embroidered black cloth that covers the holy Kaaba at the center of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, was replaced, as it is customary every year, on the eve of second day of Hajj when most worshipers have made the trek to Mount Arafat. One of the most beloved events of Hajj, the Kiswa replacement process, which took place on Wednesday night, is administered by the staff of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet Mosque. The Kiswa is replaced once a year during Hajj after the pilgrims go to Mount Arafat for the peak day of Hajj in preparation for receiving worshippers the next morning, which coincides with Eid Al-Adha. Pilgrims marked on Thursday the second day of Hajj, known as Day of Arafat, as they left the h...
Read MoreThis year’s Hajj pilgrims on Saturday finished the procedures of a weeklong home isolation, according to the health protocol approved for the major Islamic pilgrimage this year that begins next week. Pilgrims started arriving in Makkah, where they will undergo four days of quarantine at designated hotels in the holy city. The strict health protocol was approved by the Saudi government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Hajj begins on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic year 1441, and runs to the 12th or 13th of Dhul Hijjah, corresponding to July 28-August 2, 2020. The Saudi authorities decided to hold the pilgrimage in the midst of exceptional circumstances caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, necessitating strict precautionary measures that have been applied to ensure a...
Read MoreSixteen days after Chadi Mubarak Yatra left Srinagar for the Holy Cave and two days after Defence Minister visited the cave shrine, Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday cancelled this year’s Amarnath Yatra in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. At the 39th Board meeting of the shrine chaired by Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, it was decided to cancel the annual Hindu pilgrimage this year “in larger public interest”. “The Board was informed that the arrangements were on track since February 2020, but due to nationwide lockdown and the pandemic, the State Executive Committee, J&K has still continued to keep religious places and places of worship closed for the public. These prohibitions continue till 31st July,” said a government press release. "Based upon the circu...
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