One of the most revered shrines in the country, Shirdi Sai Baba Temple has reopened its doors for devotees from today, October 7. The temple has been shut for several months due to the pandemic. But now that the pandemic situation is better, the Maharashtra government decided to open the Sai Baba Temple along with several other religious places in the state on the occasion of Navratri.
Situated in the small town of Shirdi, the Sai Baba Temple is nearly 250 km from Mumbai. The temple is run by Sai Baba Sansthan Trust and witnesses a huge number of devotees every year. But given the pandemic situation, the trust has said that devotees will have to register themselves on their official portal if they wish to offer prayers in person.
New rules
The trust has capped the number of devotees to 15000 who can visit the temple in Shirdi from October 7. The management also stated that the devotees with online passes will only be allowed to go inside for darshan on a daily basis.
Besides, the temple has banned the entry of kids below 10 years, pregnant women, senior citizens above 65 and sick people. Devotees will have to wear masks all the time and maintain social distance. Meanwhile, the prasad counter will also remain closed.
1) Only 15000 devotees are allowed inside the temple daily.
2) Only 5000 paid passes, 5000 online passes, and 5000 offline passes will be issued.
3) Only 1150 devotees are allowed inside the temple premises at any hour.
4) Maximum of 90 devotees allowed inside during the aarti.
5) Fixed entry from Gate number 2, and exit will be through gate numbers 4 and 5.
6) The Dhyan Mandir and Parayan Kaksh will remain closed.
The government has also reopened the Mumba Devi Temple but only fully vaccinated devotees. Those unvaccinated will have to present their PCR negative certificate.
