Devotees line up at Khandoba temple

Aurangabad, Jan 2:

Devotees had lined up at the Khandoba temple for the fourth Sunday in a row, hoping for a healthy and prosperous New Year. For the fourth consecutive Sunday after Champa Shashti, the Khandoba temple was crowded.

According to devotees, such crowds used to assemble only during the annual fair. On Sunday, the temple premises were buzzing with the songs and dances of folk performers waghya and muralis. But no performers were allowed in the temple. Devotees were advised to use masks and sanitizers in the temple. Devotees along with their families lined up for the darshan, causing a rush.

The trustees were repeatedly appealing not to crowd the temple premises. But due to overcrowding, they later made separate queues for men and women to avoid any untoward incident. Trust president Sahebrao Palaskar, Gangadhar Parkhe, Vitthal Deokar and pujaris were working hard to manage the crowd.