Devotees visiting Hasanamba Temple in Karnataka’s Hassan should to be prepared to stand in long queues, says district administration

The Hassan district administration has appealed to devotees visiting the Hasanamba Temple in Hassan to be mentally prepared to stand in queues for a long time, as the number of people visiting the temple increased beyond expectations.

The temple, which was opened for devotees on October 10, will be closed on October 23. The entry of devotees will be allowed till October 22. Every day, lakhs of people have been visiting the temple, with queues for the people who purchased tickets worth ₹1,000 and ₹300 getting longer. On Friday morning, the queue of devotees with tickets worth ₹300 grew unexpectedly long. The devotees who were in the queue meant for ₹1,000-ticket holders also had to wait for several hours to have the deity’s ‘darshan’.

Visitors should be mentally prepared to stand in queues for long hours to have the deity’s ‘darshan’, said Deputy Commissioner K.S. Lathakumari in a statement on Friday.

Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who is also the Minister in charge of Hassan district, said that since October 10, more than 13.89 lakh devotees had the deity’s ‘darshan’ at the temple. “All the queues have been packed since Thursday. The number of people visiting the temple in a day is expected to go up to 3 lakh from Friday. The administration has to stop the deity ‘darshan’ as per the pre-schedule to allow rituals. The temple will remain closed between 12 midnight on Saturday and 6 a.m., on Sunday. Those planning to visit the temple in the coming days need to plan their visit keeping the schedule in mind,” he said.