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Covid-19 protocol goes for a toss at Attukal temple
Temple authorities and govt not keen on mandating Covid-19 negative certificates | Fest to be held without involvement of dist health authorities
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Devotees lighting lamps as part of the 10-day festivities at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram. Due to the Covid-19 threat, the devotees will be offering pongala at their homes. By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Attukal temple has been witnessing a huge flow of devotees from various parts of the district and states ever since the beginning of the 10-day annual Pongala festival last Friday.Though the District Medical Office had recommended RT-PCR test for devotees visiting the temple, the temple authorities and the state government were not very keen on mandating Covid-19 negative certificates.
Attukal pongala to be confined to ‘pandara aduppu’
Updated:
Updated:
Apprehensions over crowd management
Apprehensions over crowd management
The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple Trust has decided to confine the Pongala on February 27 to the ‘pandara aduppu,’ the main hearth, at the Attukal temple, according to trust authorities.
The decision seems to have been taken in the wake of apprehensions over adherence to COVID-19 protocols.
Trust authorities say limiting the Pongala to the temple premises could not preclude overcrowding for entry, thus creating problems for crowd management. People could offer Pongala at their houses, they said.
A high-level meeting chaired by Minister for Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran last week had decided that the annual Pongala, billed the largest congregation of women, would be held within the premises of the temple in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.