Barring the entry in the popular shrines of North India, COVID-19 has been a huge burden on tourism this year. Places that solely relied on tourism for their economy, struggled to survive during the lockdown. Albeit it is for our own safety, who doesn’t want to escape the domicile to find retreat in the serenity of Uttarakhand? With businesses being stayed on a long halt, religious spots had also remained closed to abide by the rules and regulations of the government.
But as of the first phase of Unlock after three months, most shrines in Uttarakhand are being reopened, w.e.f. 8th June 2020. CEO of Devasthanam Board, Ravinath Raman, said that every religious premise is back to normal except Char Dham and other temples in the Dehradun municipal area. Alongside that, hotels have also resumed their operations to provide an utterly safe and convenient stay to the devotees. But they will have to book at least seven days prior to the date of arrival.
Almost after a duration of over three months, the municipality opens the gates of the temples for the devotees who had been waiting avidly for revitalizing their devout soul. Unfortunately, there is a piece of sad news for the pilgrims who had been aspiring to embark upon the great Char Dham Yatra in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. The pilgrimage doesn’t seem to be starting any time soon. Also, the gates of all the shrines that fall under the Dehradun municipal area aren’t planned to be reopened yet.
Although, a meeting will be scheduled with the priests, Haq, Hakoodharis, and stakeholders before the 10th of June to decide on when the shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath can be reopened. The main priests of Chardham also oppose the decision of starting the pilgrimage before the 30th of June. They fear that the temples will be flooded by the myriad of devotees from high-load COVID-19 zones and spread the infection.
To sort out the matter, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat, held a meeting with the senior officials of the Devasthanam Board and discussed the matter. The Chief said that the final call on the matter is left on the board. After considering the situation and the priests’ opposition, even if they proclaim to reopen the four abodes, the safety of the pilgrims will be taken care of. It has also been said that during the initial days, the annual Yatra will be conducted with the limited influx, mainly comprising of locals and people from within the state. Moreover, the guidelines of MHA will also be enforced on the devotees, who wouldn’t be allowed to enter the temples without a mask and in large groups. Strict actions are supposed to be taken against anyone who doesn’t follow social distancing.
About the Dehradun municipal region, the area is highly affected by COVID-19 with a sharp rise in the coronavirus cases. That’s why the board isn’t planning to open the shrine already, keeping the health concerns of the locals as well as tourists in mind. The priests are supportive of lockdown as they say if keeping the entry barred for a couple of days more saves the human lives, they wouldn’t unlock the gate.
As per the instructions of the Centre, even if the shrines begin to welcome devotees, the customs of ringing the bells, offering Jalabhishek, and getting prasad will not be resumed to normal. Touching anything inside the temple will be prohibited and strict actions will be taken against the violators of the COVID-19 protocol. While in urban temples, the throngs of devotees wouldn’t be seen on normal days; thus, visiting them will not do much harm and in fact, dispel the gloom that surrounds people due to the current global pandemic.