Gokarna (Uttara Kannada district), July 23: In the wake of the gradual erosion of the thousands-year-old stone idol at the Mahaganapati temple in Gokarna, Assistant Commissioner of the Muzrai Department Sudha Talwara has issued an order prohibiting devotees from touching the idol and offering worship.
Announcing this decision at a meeting of the temple priests and the public, she said that except for the shift-in-charge priests, no other priests, VIPs or devotees will be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum. Devotees are prohibited from anointing or touching the idol. They can have darshan of the god from a distance.
Aarti can be performed from outside the sanctum sanctorum. These restrictions will remain in effect until further orders, Sudha Talwara said.
Many devotees, including local residents, had demanded that touching the idol, worshipping it, and having darshan should be banned as the thousands-year-old idol was deteriorating due to constant touching.