Temples in city usher in Navratri with lights, flowers & enthusiasm

While the Covid-19 pandemic affected all festivities for two consecutive years, this year's festival period is set to recapture the grandness of the former years. The festive season began on Monday with Navratri.

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Temples across the city were decorated and devotees throned the shrines from early morning for a darshan of Goddess Durga.

Jhandewalan Devi Mandir in central Delhi had made special floral arrangements at the sanctum sanctorum. The flowers will be replaced with fresh ones every alternate day. Other parts of the temple premises were also adorned with flowers and special illumination.

For those wanting to book the darshan in advance, a facility for free online booking has been introduced for the first time.

"We have deployed at least 70 mehndi artists for women devotees free of cost. To avoid chaos we have arranged for distribution of prasad outside the main area," said Ravindra Goel, trustee of the temple management committee. "We get visitors coming from all parts of the country. They can download our app and book the slot for darshan. Two gates have been reserved to facilitate this free darshan." The temple has engaged 170 CCTV cameras, 2,500 volunteers (including 250 women) to manage the crowds and installed three LED screens for displaying the darshan schedule besides taking the help of Delhi Police for better management.