Coronavirus: Bur Dubai temple cancels Holi celebrations

Dubai - Devotees have been asked to leave immediately after finishing their prayers.

The Sindhi Guru Darbar Temple in Souq Baniyan, Bur Dubai, has decided to cancel Holi celebrations this year, as a precautionary measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Furthermore, devotees have been discouraged from staying back, waiting for prayers (aarti) to complete, and are advised to leave the premises as soon as they finish praying, starting Thursday.

Indian businessman and temple trustee Vasu Shroff said, "We usually have a small celebration in the temple for Holi. However, we have decided to cancel it this year as a precautionary measure." This was also confirmed by another trustee.

Shroff added: "The mandir will be closed for darshans, or special prayers, starting today. The poojas and aartis will only be performed by the temple priests, and devotees are requested to not stay back and witness the prayers. They must leave the temple premises immediately after."

Shroff said these steps have been adopted to control crowds and limit the spread of the disease. Furthermore, cooked prasad, or blessed offerings, that are usually given to visitors after they finish prayers, will be stopped as well. "Instead, we will be giving visitors dried fruits," explained Shroff.

The Sindhi Guru Darbar Temple in Bur Dubai is one of the most popular religious sites for Hindus in Dubai and is visited by several hundreds of people every day, and thousands during special occasions.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai