Dhenkanal: Kartika Purnima was celebrated at temples and shrines of Lord Shiva in the district without devotees and adhering to COVID restrictions on Friday.
Apprehending large congregation that may lead to spread of COVID, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were imposed at 16 Shiva shrines in the district on the direction of Dhenkanal collector Saroj Kumar Sethi.
These shrines, which witness massive gathering of the devotees on the occasion of Kartika Purnima every year, wore deserted look on the day while the priests performed the rituals following the COVID protocols.
The shrines the prohibitory orders were clamped include Baba Chandrasekhar at Kapilas, Baba Ashtasambhu temple at Kualo, Rameswar temple at Tentulisinga under Kamakhyanagar block, Swapneswar temple at Sibulapasi, Shiva temple at Jiridamali and Kapileswar Pitha at Hatuari.
“Thousands of devotees used to come to the temple every year on Kartika Purnima. But their number has come down due to COVID pandemic and related restrictions for the last two years. We are performing the rituals adhering to the COVID regulations,” said Shrutipada Nanda, management committee member of Rameswar temple.
“We have been celebrating Kartika Purnima and performing Yangya for the last 16 years. But the pandemic related restrictions have out a curb on the celebration on grand scale this year,” said Laxmidhar Panda, a priest of Shiva temple at Jiridamali.
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