Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 21 : Amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of devotees thronged Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday on the occasion of Onam. The devotees offered prayers while following precautionary measures against coronavirus. “This time we are celebrating Onam with a lot of restrictions and limitations. We cannot hang around so much. It’s a simple celebration,” said a devotee visiting the temple. Onam is an annual harvest festival celebrated by Malayalees. It falls in Chingam month, the first month according to the Malayalam calendar. The festival commemorates Lord Vishnu’s Vamana avatar. The celebrations spread over 10 days marking the Malayalam New Year and conclude with Thiruvonam. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind extended their greetings to the people on the occasion of Onam. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic situation is still serious in Kerala as the state on Friday reported 20,224 new COVID-19 cases and 99 deaths, taking the total caseload to 37,86,797 and the death toll to 19,345.
