COVID-19: Siddhivinayak, Baba Mahakal temples closed for devotees

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New Delhi: The temple authorities of Siddhivinayak in Mumbai and Baba Mahakal in Ujjain on Monday (March 16, 2020) closed the temple for devotees in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The decision comes after the government had asked the temples to stop the entries of the devotees in the temples in country.

Siddhivinayak temple, dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesh, is Mumbai's most famous temple and sees over thousands of visitors every day.

Whereas the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple, famously known as the Baba Mahakal temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and one of the twelve Jyotirlingams. The temple authorities closed the online and offline protocol permissions until further orders. The daily morning Bhashma aarti has also been closed for the common and VIP visitors till March 31. Only the priests of the temple will be present during the aarti.

The cleaning system in Mahakal temple has been improved and the temple area is being washed twice a day.

Maharashtra is the worst-hit coronavirus state in India with 38 cases reported as of Monday, whereas, Madhya Pradesh has not reported any case until now.

At least 15 states and UTs in the country have tested positive for the coronavirus. As many as 13 states and UTs have also banned the public gatherings, be it in cinema halls, malls, pubs or any other public places.

Coronavirus positive cases in India has jumped to 116 by Monday afternoon.

Two people have so far died of the disease in the country.