Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, is no exception to the extreme air pollution that has held North India captive, especially post Diwali. PM 2.5 in Varanasi’s air touched 500 this week.
Believe it or not- With air quality worsening by the day, devotees in the holy city are helping gods avoid toxic air by covering the faces with anti-pollution masks.
At the famous Shiv-Parvati temple in downtown Sigra, the faces of Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga, Goddess Kali and Sai Baba have been covered with masks.
Varanasi is a place of belief. We treat our idols as living deities and take pains to make them happy and comfortable. In summer, the idols are slathered with sandalwood paste to keep them cool and in winter, we cover them in woollens. Likewise, to save them from pollution, we have put masks on their faces.
Looking at the covered faces of their deities, many devotees visiting the temple have also started wearing anti-pollution masks.
“This can happen only in India ;o)”
Reference- LIVE visit To Temple, NDTV story, Indian Express
