VASCO
The temple of Lord Damodar in Vasco will be reopened fully for devotees from Monday, but with certain limitations.
The Damodar temple which witnesses a huge number of devotees seeking the blessings of Lord Damodar has been closed since the lockdown in a bid to control the spread of Covid.
The annual Damodar Bhajani Saptah which attracts people from across the State and country was also celebrated in a restricted manner amid the pandemic.
After the ‘unlock’ began, the external part of the temple was opened for devotees to visit and pray, but they were not allowed to enter inside the main temple.
However, when contacted, Prashant Joshi of the Joshi family said the temple will be fully reopened for darshan to the devotees from Monday, (the day of Lord Damodar) and people will be allowed to enter inside the temple and offer prayers, but will not be allowed to give any offerings.
"No person will be allowed to enter the temple without a mask. Only 10 devotees will be permitted at a time for a five minute Darshan. Devotees will not be allowed to offer flowers, coconuts, sweets or any other offerings. Dakshina or monetary offerings will have to be offered only in the Dakshina box and there will be thermal checking of devotees before entering the temple premises. Social distance will have to be strictly followed and prasad distribution is presently suspended for safety reasons."
"The temple will be open between 7.30 am to 12.30 pm and 5 pm to 8 pm on Mondays, while on other days the mandir will be open from 8.30 am to 12 pm and 5 pm to 7 pm," said Joshi.
