KOTA KINABALU – With Sabah still under the conditional movement control order (CMCO), Hindu temples in the state have been told to strictly observe health and safety rules this Deepavali season, including limiting the number of devotees during prayer sessions.
The Sri Pasupathinath Alayam temple in Bukit Padang here usually hosts some 1,000 people during the Festival of Lights.
Its deputy president, Datuk K. Mathavan, said this year, no more than 30 devotees were allowed for each prayer session.
“Normally, our temple would host between 800 and 1,000 devotees on the first day of Deepavali, but we only had about 100 this year.
“Our prayer sessions started in the morning and went on till noon. The temple floors and railings were sanitised between the sessions.
“We also made sure that each session did not have more than 30 devotees, so as to maintain physical distancing as per National Security Council SOPs.
"We have counters to check people’s body temperature and offer hand sanitiser. Devotees have to wear masks and record their details prior to entering the temple.”
There were a total of five prayer sessions, he said, adding that temple committee members distributed sweets for devotees to take home as food was not allowed to be served on the premises.
Mathavan thanked the authorities for allowing Hindus to attend temple prayers on the first day of Deepavali.
He said the CMCO restrictions saw students studying in the peninsula unable to return to Sabah, and vice versa, to celebrate with their families.
“Yesterday, about 20 students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah came to pray at the temple, and their lecturers prepared packed lunches for them.”
The Indian community in the state is estimated to be 12,200-strong. – The Vibes, November 15, 2020
