Sub-temples at Tuljabhavani temple sealed for flouting Covid norms

Aurangabad

: Osmanabad district administration has sealed three shrines located in the immediate vicinity of the famous Tuljabhavani temple for alleged violation of Covid prevention norms.

With the main temple of the goddess closed due to Covid-related restrictions, these sub-temples were allegedly used by a section of the priest community for performing pooja and other different rituals and customs allegedly involving many devotees.

Tuljapur tehsildar Saudagar Tandale on Saturday said the temple of Annapurna Devi, Tol-Bhairav and Matangi Devi situated in the premises of Tuljabhavani temple have been sealed till further notice.

“Despite a warning from the district administration, a section of priest community was operating these three sub-temples by arranging daily visits of a large number of devotees. While religious places are still not allowed to open in Maharashtra due to Covid-related fears, such large gatherings at the shrines concerned called for official action,” he said.

Government authorities said only daily pooja and other essential customs and rituals will be performed at these sub-temples without involving any devotees. “The seal put on these shrines will be opened in the presence of staff of the district administration for performing daily religious activities,” Tandale said, adding that the district administration was also contemplating registering offences against the priests involved in the illegal opening of shrines in question.

Revered by devotees from across the state, Tuljabhavani temple at Tuljapur witnessed daily footfall of nearly seven lakh devotees during the festival period of Navratri during pre-Covid times.

Earlier in January , the Osmanabad district administration had invoked action against 24 priests associated with the Tuljapur temple located around 260 km from Aurangabad city for entering into the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine during a period other than the allotted shifts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of these, eight priests were banned from carrying out temple services for next three months whereas 16 were served show-cause notices.

With a daily positivity rate of 4.5%, Osmanabad district on Friday reported 99 fresh cases of Covid-19, including six from Tuljapur taluka. The district has around 918 active cases of Covid-19, which is a second-highest number after Beed district (1,846).