Mathura's Banke Bihari temple reopens for devotees

MATHURA: The famous Banke Bihari temple in Mathura reopened for devotees on Sunday adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines and maintaining social distancing.

A heavy police force has been deployed here to control the crowd of devotees. "We have started online registration for `darshan` and only 500 devotees are being allowed to offer prayers in a single day," the temple manager said.

The temple had been shut since March 22.

On October 15, on the order of the court of Civil Judge Junior Division, the temple was re-opened for devotees. However, following large crowd at the temple, manager Munish Sharma ordered the closure of the temple again from October 19.

Senior district and police officials remained present at the temple complex to ensure proper implementation of safety protocols for COVID-19 when devotees started arriving on Sunday.