Odisha Issues Guidelines For Mahashivaratri Celebrations. Read Detailed SOPs Here

As per the schedule fixed at a meeting between servitors and Lingaraj temple's executive officer, Mahadeep will be raised atop the Lord Lingaraj temple here at 10 PM on Mahashivaratri.

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has issued detailed guidelines for celebration of the Mahashivratri festival, falling on March 1 (Tuesday) this year. Issuing an order in this regard, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said the devotees must follow Covid-19 safety protocols such as wearing face masks, maintaining physical distancing and hand hygiene.

There is a continuous decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state and the number of active cases has also decreased. However, a large number of devotees are likely to congregate at various Shiva temples on the festival of Mahashivaratri, which have a large potential for spread of Covid-19 infections, Jena said.

Odisha govt’s Covid guidelines for Mahashivaratri: 5 points to know

1. Considering local conditions, the collectors, municipal commissioners and police commissioner (Bhubaneswar-Cuttack) can impose appropriate restrictions on entry of devotees into the temples, the SRC said.
2. Further, mela/congregations outside/ within the temple premises may be restricted so as to avoid mass gatherings/crowding, the SRC added.
3. The local authorities have been authorized to decide the number of persons to attend any religious ritual in their respective jurisdictions with strict adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour and norms.
4. As per the schedule fixed at a meeting between servitors and Lingaraj temple’s executive officer, Mahadeep will be raised atop the Lord Lingaraj temple here at 10 PM on Mahashivaratri.
5. On Saturday, Odisha recorded 293 fresh Covid-19 cases, which is the lowest this year. The state had registered 228 cases on December 31. With the death of another four persons due to Covid-19 in Odisha, the death toll rose to 9,056.

(With IANS inputs)