Prayer in The Time of Corona

Nepal has been under a national lockdown since March 24 to prevent the community spread of coronavirus. There were only two confirmed cases of Covid-19 before the lockdown. Fortunately, the number of new additional cases have increased by only seven after that, bringing the total to nine. During this unprecedented move, people have been instructed to stay inside their homes.

For a historically religious town like Janakpur, visiting temples often is part of hundreds of people’s routine. The main entry doors for major temples have remained closed. The side entry door has continued to remain open however and some people do still visit these temples. On March 22 2020, two days before a national lockdown due to coronavirus, people continued to visit Janaki Mandir to offer their prayers. Here are some photographs I captured on that day.