Thermal screening, masks must before visit to ancient Bawe shrine in Jammu

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 5

With government considering allowing reopening of religious places in non-containment zones from June 8, the management of ancient Bawe temple, dedicated to goddess Kali, in Jammu has decided to make thermal screening and wearing of masks mandatory for all the devotees before they will be allowed in sanctum sanctorum.

The shrine of Dogra Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir was visited by thousands daily before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Though the temple is still awaiting official communication to reopen its doors to pilgrims, as per the MHA directions, the management committees of religious places in Jammu are sanitising spaces within shrines and making plans for proper screening of devotees.

“It is important that people maintain social distancing. We have started preparations so that proper guidelines are followed by devotees. Once a written communication is received, we will open the gates of the temple,” said Suresh Shastri, one of the senior priests at the shrine.

Shastri said devotees will be asked to follow the protocol.

He said masks had been stocked in case devotees needed them while a team of volunteers will keep temperature monitors with them at the entrance.

The shrine is estimated to be around 3,000 years old and is also a prominent tourist place.

Meanwhile, other religious places, including gurdwaras and mosques, within temple city are also making preparations to reopen on June 8. At some places, management committees have decided to install sanitisation tunnels.

“We are ready to follow the guidelines when the religious places are opened. But unless the devotees themselves follow the guidelines, the threat of Covid-19 spread will remain. People have to act responsibly,” said Kamlesh Kumar, a social worker.