VIJAYAWADA
: In a bid to ward off Covid-19, the state endowments department has directed executive officers of all major temples in the state to perform rituals on June 16.
According to officials, special
poojas
and homas on Monday is part of the step to keep the pandemic in check.
P Arjun Rao, commissioner, endowments department, has issued a circular directing all the executive officers of the 16 famous temples to seek blessings for the people of the country. These temples include – Kanaka Durga
Temple
atop of Indrakeeladri Hill, Lord Malleswara, the presiding deity in Srisailam and Lord Narasimha Swamy at Simhachalam, to seek the divine blessings to the people of the nation in general and for those living in
Andhra Pradesh in particular.
The performing of the religious activity includes chanting of Vedic mantras, performing homams, japamas, prana yamamas and abhishekas to the presiding deities.
“There is a mention in the Vedas that performing special rituals to the almighty will help protect mankind from various deadly diseases. Amid novel
coronavirus outbreak fears, the endowments department thus, has decided to conduct these special poojas to ward off the threat,” Arjun Rao said.
“We are in darkness about the virus. There is no cure and people are full of fear. The only thing that can bring solace is prayers,” he added.
The initiative has come from a member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board, Krishnamoorthy Vaidyanathan, to perform the rituals on the auspicious Bhoumashvina Day that falls on June 16.
The TTD Trust Board member wrote to the Special Commissioner (Endowment) quoting Bhagavatha Purana Asthama Skandha in which Dhanvantri, an Amshavathara of Lord Vishnu, revealed the science of medicine to the world.