Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Changes Darshan Timings As Maharashtra Sees Spike In Covid Cases; Check New Guidelines

The restrictions were announced by Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust after a recent spike in Coronavirus cases in several districts of Maharashtra including Amravati, Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nashik and others. 

(Representative Image/ Getty)

On the backdrop of significantly surging Coronavirus cases in several districts of Maharashtra, the Sai Baba Temple in Ahmednagar district on Wednesday issued a fresh set of guidelines for devotees coming to the temple. The announcement of revised guidelines came soon after Ahmednagar District Collector imposed a night curfew in the area to contain further spread of the deadly virus. 

As per reports, not just the darshan time, but some other restrictions have also been imposed by the Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust, which manages the operation of the temple. The new guidelines state that devotees will now be allowed to visit the temple from 6 am till 9 pm daily. '

However, devotees will not be able to attend early morning prayers (kakad aarti) which takes place at 4:30 am and 10:30 pm (shej aarti). Even the Thursday Palkhi will be closed for devotees till further notice.

The guidelines also state that biometric pass counters in the temple will be kept close on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and on festive days in order to avoid overcrowding. 

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The restrictions were announced by Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust after a recent spike in Coronavirus cases in several districts of Maharashtra including Amravati, Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nashik and others. 

Meanwhile, CM Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government on Wednesday instructed all district collectors and municipal commissioners to increase Covid-19 testing in their respective areas. Maharashtra has witnessed an upward trend in Covid-19 cases since February 10, with positive cases surging past 6,000 on a daily basis.