The Kamakhya temple in the Nilachal hills of Guwahati will remain closed until June 30.
Guwahati:
The famous Kamakhya temple in the Nilachal hills of Guwahati will remain closed until June 30, the temple administration said. The center and the Assam government, however, authorized the reopening of places of worship from June 8 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The temple management committee said it had decided not to open the temple for public worship until June 30 due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Assam.
As the temple will remain closed, the annual Ambubachi Mela will not be held this year for the first time in the history of the temple since the 17th century, the management committee said.
This year, the annual fair was scheduled to start on June 22. Last year, it saw an attendance of around 20 lakh worshipers from India and abroad.
The temple management committee has declared that only the rituals will be performed during temple closing days. The management closed the temple on March 20 after the launch of the COVID-19 alert in Assam.
Assam reported 29 new cases of coronavirus on Monday; 92 people recovered from the highly infectious disease in a single day, which is more recoveries than infections.
The total number of cases in the state is 1,390.
