Devotees barred from carrying puja material in Shiva temple

Ambernath (Maharashtra): Devotees throng to the famous ancient Shiva temple in Ambernath on the day of ‘Mahashivaratri’. This year, however, Municipal Corporation and management of temple have barred devotees, from carrying puja material like garlands, coconuts, flowers, milk etc., for security reasons. (Crowd and chaos at temples can be controlled with proper planning. There is no need to prevent devotees from performing ‘puja’ with necessary material. Those, who are preventing devotees from observing customs and rituals, are heretics – Editor).
        
Devotees, from all over the district, visit this temple. As the sanctum sanctorium is very small, there is disorder and confusion inside the temple. Police, temple management and municipality administration decided to put a ban on devotees carrying ‘puja’ material in the temple to avoid the chaos. It was learnt that an anonymous letter was received about two years back threatening to blow up this ancient Shiva temple, therefore, the above decision was taken. (Instead of taking stringent action against terrorism and tighten secuarity at the temple, devotees are prevented from taking puja material. Will such things happen in matters involving other religions? – Editor). An arrangement has been made for devotees to keep their offerings outside the temple.

Source: ‘Daily Sanatan Prabhat’

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