Mangaluru Dasara celebrations to begin from Sept 26 at Gokarnanatha temple

The Mangaluru Dasara festival will be celebrated at the Kudroli Gokarnanatha temple from September 26 to October 6, former Union Minister B Janaradhan Poojary, patron of the temple, has said.

This year's celebrations will be unique as the festival could not be held during the previous two years on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, he told reporters here on Sunday.

More than 10 lakh people from various districts of the state are expected to arrive in the city for the celebrations and preparations are on to hold the festival on a grand scale, he said.

Religious rituals will be held every day and food will be served to devotees. It is proposed to hold 'Chandika Yaga' in the glass house for the convenience of devotees, Poojary said.

Poojary said he will personally invite Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to inaugurate the festivities. The timing will be confirmed depending on the availability of the chief minister, he added.

Temple treasurer R Padmaraj said a silver pedestal weighing 12 kg for Goddess Sharada, being made at a cost of Rs 12 lakh, will be offered on September 24. A family of devotees will be offering a silver veena to the temple.

Certain changes have been made in the holding of the Dasara procession as per the convenience of devotees, he said.