Devotional fervour marks Chamundeshwari Vardhanti celebrations

The Chamundeshwari Vardhanti celebration was held amidst devotional fervour with a large number of people taking part in the annual festival at Chamundi Hills on Thursday.

There were special rituals and ceremonies to mark the Vardhanti celebrations and the religious rites signalling the commencement of the celebrations, commened at 4 a.m.

The processional idol of the deity - Goddess Chamundeshwari – was given a ceremonial bath in the sacred waters followed by other rituals like Panchamrutha Abhisheka, etc. This was followed by Rudrabhisheka, Kumkumarchane or rituals with vermillion, and chanting of the Sahasranama or the 1,000 names of the Goddess.

After the completion of the rituals, the processional idol was placed in the palanquin amidst religious paraphernalia and was brough out of the temple in a procession.

Members of the police band, accompanied by an ensemble of muscians playing “mangala vadya”, accompanied the procession while the presence of ceremonial umbrella and the chamara or the whisk, added to the religious spirit.

Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Deve Gowda, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, and others were present. The district administration had made elaborate arrangements in anticipation of large number of devotees while additional police forces were deployed for security.

In a bid to manage traffic and crowding, private vehicles were barred to enter Chamundi Hills and the public had to use the KSRTC buses specially deployed for the purpose. It was a free shuttle introduced by the authorities and transported the devotees from the Lalitha Mahal helipad grounds, to Chamundi Hills and back.

Pandals were erected in different parts of the city as special poojas were also organised and prasadam was distributed to the public as part of the Vardhanti celebrations.