Coronavirus Pandemic

Hindus & Sikhs: Events called off, prayers go online

Prasadham, food and flowers that have been blessed, are given to devotees on platters, instead of by hand, to avoid unnecessary contact at Sri Darma Muneeswaran Temple.
Prasadham, food and flowers that have been blessed, are given to devotees on platters, instead of by hand, to avoid unnecessary contact at Sri Darma Muneeswaran Temple. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID
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Madam Jayamani Viswalingam, 64, has been going to the Sri Siva Durga Temple in Potong Pasir for over 30 years, so a global pandemic is not going to stop her weekly Tuesday prayers.

The usual routine for all Hindu devotees at temples involves leaving their footwear outside the grounds and washing both hands and feet. But for some, like Madam Viswalingam, there are a few more steps, like taking her temperature at home before going to the temple to prepare a tray of lime lamps - limes that have been scooped out and filled with a wick and ghee - to offer to the goddess Durga.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on March 22, 2020, with the headline Hindus & Sikhs: Events called off, prayers go online. Subscribe