INDIA, August 22, 2020 (Times of Malta) Indian authorities have imposed tough anti-coronavirus restrictions on gatherings and the size of Ganesha elephant God statues for one of the biggest religious festivals of the year that started Saturday. The 10 days of prayers and family gatherings for Ganesh Chaturthi started under a pandemic cloud with the country close to three million infections and 56,000 deaths. Most major cities have ordered that effigies of the popular elephant-headed God Ganesha, which can draw thousands of Hindu devotees onto the streets, be shrunk back. Traditionally, the statues can tower 33 feet high or more and need dozens of people to carry them but this year authorities said they can be no more than 3.6 feet tall in a bid to cut crowds.
In New Delhi, no Ganesha statues will be shown in public while hard-hit Mumbai has cut back access to the seafront to immerse Ganesha figures, usually the highlight of the festival. Tens of thousands traditionally flock to the beaches on the final day of the festival to immerse elaborately decorated figurines of the Deity in the Arabian Sea. This year, authorities in India’s financial capital have constructed hundreds of artificial immersion ponds across the city to stop hordes crowding the waterfront. Devotees will also be able to leave their elephant statues at collection centers and volunteers will immerse them in the sea. Authorities want devotees to mark the festival at home, dampening enthusiasm among pandemic-weary locals. Even the statues worshipped at home must be no more than 12.9 inches.