COIMBATORE, India — Hindu priests at an Indian temple are saying daily prayers to two coronavirus goddesses in an effort to tame the pandemic as the country battles a new infection surge.
Two “Corona Devi” idols have been set up in the southern city of Coimbatore, badly hit in an outbreak that has killed 100,000 people nationwide in the past four weeks.
The Kamatchipuri Adhinam temple is closed to worshippers because of the city’s high infection rates but priests are paying tribute in front of the goddesses, one made of sandalwood and the other from stone.
They leave food and other offerings, chant prayers urging an end to the pandemic and bathe the idols in turmeric water…
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