On the first day of New Year 2021, people in large numbers visited temples, gurudwaras and other religious places to seek blessings despite the COVID-19 restrictions. Devotees gathered at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the first day of the New Year 2021. The number of people at the gurudwara on New Year Day was however far less compared to previous years due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place. Covid guidelines for New Year celebrations have been announced by the centre and state governments to check the spread of the deadly virus but many people were seen without masks.
The Punjab government has already issued guidelines restricting indoor gatherings to 100 people and outdoor gathering to 250. There is also a night curfew going on, which will be lifted after January 1. Night curfew is in place in most metros across the country.
In Maharashtra, devotees turned up at the famous Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple in Mumbai to offer prayers. People at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh also gathered at Sangam ghat to take a holy dip, offer prayers and witness the first sun rise of the New Year.
Taking a dip at the Sangam or the confluence of three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati on important days is considered to b very auspicious.
At Patna's Mahaveer temple too a large number of devotees gathered on the New Year Day. In the temple town of Puri, people gathered on the beech to watch the first sun rise of the year on January 1.
In most states in India, no celebratory events, public functions and gatherings were permitted and section 144 has been imposed.