Coronavirus: MP's 2 jyotirlinga temples to be shut till Mar 31

The authorities of two famous jyotirlinga temples in Madhya Pradesh Omkareshwar and Mahalakeshwar - have banned the entry of devotees till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain and Omkareshwar in Khandwa district are two jyotirlinga shrines in the state that attract thousands of devotees every day.

There are 12 jyotirlinga temples of Lord Shiva in the country.

Ujjain district collector Shashank Mishra said the entry of the devotees has been banned in all the temples of the city, including Mahakaleshwar, till March 31 due to coronavirus threat.

He said no coronavirus patient has been found in the city so far.

Sub Divisional Officer of Punasa in Khandwa district, Mamta Khede, held a meeting with the priests of Omkareshwar temple on Friday. This temple town is located about 70-kms from the district headquarters.

Khede said that as decided in the meeting, the entry of the devotees in Omkareshwar temple has been banned till March 31.

However, the priests would continue to hold daily rituals and aartis at the temple, she said.

The entry of vehicles in Omkareshwar town would also be restricted during this period, she added.

Omkareshwar is about 138 kms from Ujjain.

On Friday, Madhya Pradesh recorded its first cases of coronavirus with four persons testing positive in Jabalpur city. Three members of a family, who had returned from Dubai, and another person, who returned from Germany, were found to be infected.

After shutting the schools, cinema halls, museums etc, the authorities in several districts of the state have taken several measures, like keeping passenger buses of roads and closure of restaurants and markets.