Ranchi/Deoghar, July 20: The sanctum sanctorum of Lord Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar and Basukinath Dham in Dumka will remain closed for two hours on Wednesday as the world witnesses the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st Century.

More than 100,000 devotees will not be allowed to offer Ganga jal to the jyotir lingam between 5.30am and 7.30am though the longest duration of the eclipse will be six minutes and 38 seconds over a part of the Pacific Ocean.

Priests said during the holy month of Shravan, the rituals begin as early as 3.05am and continue till 8pm, but because of the eclipse, the same had been postponed. Binod Dutt Dwari, the president of Panda Dharma Rakshini Sabha of Deoghar, said the solar eclipse had special significance in the Hindu mythology and no rituals could be performed during the period.

Durlabh Mishra, a member of the Sabha, said while the sanctum sanctorum would remain closed, pilgrims would have to sing devotional songs or recite Vedic mantras. “During the eclipse, all earthly beings lose their energy. The harmful rays radiated by the sun make their bodies impure and unfit for offering puja to the lord,” he said.

Mishra said the district administration had appealed to kanwariyas to stop travelling between 5.30am and 7.30am. “They will have to stop and meditate or sing devotional songs,” Mishra said.

After the eclipse, the priests of Babadham have made special arrangement for ablution at Sanskar Mandap.

State tourism secretary A.K. Singh said his department had decided to inform pilgrims about the eclipse through its 16 information centres set up in Deoghar.