Pune, Oct 7 (PTI) Devotees queued up at places of worship in Maharashtra"s Pune division, home to some of the famous temples in the state, which reopened on Thursday after remaining closed for nearly six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the nine-day Navratri festival began on Thursday, people were seen lining up outside some of the major temples in Pune city. "Since morning, devotees have been coming in good numbers to visit Lord Ganesha here. We are taking all precautions and following all COVID-19 rules and regulations while allowing entry to people inside the sanctum sanctorum," said Mahesh Suryawanshi, one of the trustees of Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandal. Arrangements have been made for hand sanitisers and thermal screening at the entrance of the temple, he said, adding that people are not allowed to take garlands inside the temple. In the neighbouring Solapur district, the Vitthal-Rukmini temple in Pandharpur saw a good number of visitors. Balaji Padulwad, one of the trustees of the temple, said, "Devotees are being allowed inside the temple in compliance with physical distancing norms and COVID-appropriate behaviour." The famous Sai Baba temple in Shirdi allowed entry to devotees who carried passes for their visit, which they applied for online.At least 15,000 devotees, who procure passes online, will be allowed inside the temple on a daily basis, a district official said.In Kolhapur too, people who had passes were allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Mahalaxmi Ambabai temple."Devotees without online tokens are allowed to take "mukhdarshan" from outside. We have made all arrangements to ensure that physical distancing and other COVID-19 norms are followed in true letter and spirit," one of the trustees of the temple said. PTI SPK ARU ARU