From Amarnath Yatra To Durga Puja, 5 Big Religious Events Cancelled Or Scaled Back Due To Coronavirus

The unprecedented onset of the Coronavirus pandemic and the dire need of social distancing has dampened our spirits, keeping us away as a community.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: The outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic has led to cancellation of number of festivals, events and religious celebrations in India as the deadly contagion continues to infect over 11 lakh people and killed over 28,000. Given the current circumstances, the government of India has decided either cancel such events and in some cases scaled back the celebrations. Apart from imposing lockdown, the Centre has also limited large religious gatherings to avoid physical contact in order to halt transmission of Covid-19. The unprecedented onset of the Coronavirus pandemic and the dire need of social distancing has dampened our spirits, keeping us away as a community. As the epidemic grows deadlier, several festivals and religious events got cancelled, while some witnessed muted celebrations. Let’s have a look at such religious events and festivals that have been cancelled or will see subdued celebrations this year: 1. Amarnath Yatra On the backdrop of Coronavirus pandemic, the authorities has announced to cancel Amarnath Yatra scheduled for this year. "Based upon the circumstances, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board decided that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s Shri Amarnathji Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation of Yatra 2020," the Amarnath Shrine Board said. However, the shrine board will conduct live telecast of the darshan in the morning and aarti in the evening. The traditional rituals will be followed. 2. Hajj 2020 Last month, the government of India said that the country would not be sending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year to perform Hajj. This decision was taken to ensure Hajj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective. The decision was taken by the Central government after after Saudi Arabia said it would be welcoming a limited number of people for the pilgrimage, that begins in late July. Over two million people visit Mecca every year for the event. 3. Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Festival "Lalbaugcha Raja", the biggest draw of Mumbai's 11-day Ganesh festival, will witness a skip this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The organisers of the Lalbaug celebrations, decided earlier this month, to cancel the event as Maharashtra remains to be worst Coronavirus-hit state across the country. This is a first in Lalbaugcha Raja's 87-year history. The Maharashtra government also issued guidelines restricting the height of Ganesh idols, and containing other stringent regulations, for the 11-day Ganeshotsav festival starting from August 22. 4. Bandra Fair Another much-awaited event has fallen prey to the Covid-19 pandemic is Mumbai’s famous Bandra Fair which has been cancelled for the first time in 125 years! This fair, held at the 350-year-old Mount Mary basilica of the city, is organised every year in September to celebrate the birth of Mother Mary. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) informed the Mount Mary basilica that its H-West ward will not make its usual arrangements for the Bandra Fair, which is attended by lakhs of people of all faiths, following state government's order to ban religious gatherings. 5. Durga Puja One of India's most celebrated festivals Durga Puja is also most likely to witness various restrictions, massive campaigns etc to ensure that no one comes out of their homes without wearing masks and maintain social distancing norms. Durga Puja organisers across Kolkata are hopeful they will be able to celebrate the festival this year, albeit in a scaled-down manner and by taking safety measures.