• Chief Minister to offer prayers tomorrow
•  Entry tickets available at Lalitha Mahal Helipad and Chamundeshwari Temple
•  Private vehicles banned on four Ashada Fridays
•  Free bus service from Helipad

Mysuru: With thousands of devotees from across the State expected to visit Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill on first Ashada Friday tomorrow, the authorities have made all arrangements to ensure that the event passes off smoothly without any hitches.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Chamundeshwari Temple Executive Officer K.M. Prasad said that adequate drinking water and toilet facilities have been arranged atop the Hill for the devotees.

Four queues for darshan

Explaining the measures taken for facilitating smooth darshan of deity, Prasad said four entry queues will be formed — one for Dharma Darshana; another for devotees with Rs. 50 darshan ticket; third for devotees with  Rs. 300 entry ticket along with abhisheka and the fourth one for VIPs and VVIPs. The tickets are available both at Lalitha Mahal Helipad and atop the Hill, he said.

Pointing out that barricades will be placed on both sides of the queues, he said that following frequent complaints of barricade breach, green coloured nets will be erected along the barricades.

He said that private vehicles to the Hill has been banned on all four Ashada Fridays and the KSRTC will operate free bus service from Lalitha Mahal helipad to the Hill temple from 3 in the morning till 9 in the night. Pointing out that the temple may incur an expenditure of upto Rs. 16 lakh for ferrying the devotees from the helipad to the temple, he said that the temple has paid Rs. 5 lakh in advance to KSRTC.

No Plastic Zone

Highlighting that plastic has been totally banned atop the Hill, Prasad said that those climbing the hill steps should not carry plastic water bottles. The temple has placed drinking water tanks at various points from the foot to the Hill, he said and added that Forest Department personnel will be deployed to ensure the safety of devotees climbing steps, as wild animals roam about in the vicinity.

He said that 6 battery-operated vehicles will be used for ferrying specially abled persons and the aged devotees from Mahishasura statue to the temple.

Chamundeshwari Temple Chief Priest N. Shashishekar Dikshit, speaking to SOM, said that the rituals will commence with abhishekas at 3 am and will go on till 5.30 am, following which the temple will be opened for devotees.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Higher Education Minister G.T. Devegowda has sponsored flower decoration of the deity and the temple while a devotee from Bengaluru has taken the responsibility of Dasoha (mass feeding) tomorrow.