Mysore/Mysuru: Vardhanti of Goddess Chamundeshwari will be held atop Chamundi Hill tomorrow (July 20). The festival is held in the month of Ashada, under Hindu Chandramana calendar.
Besides, Ashada is considered auspicious for the Goddess and devotees visit the temple on Fridays of the month in thousands.
As there is huge rush on Fridays, devotees visit the temple on Saturdays and Sundays during Ashada month. The procession of Goddess Chamundeshwari is taken out in a golden palanquin around Chamundeshwari Temple on the occasion.
The palanquin is brought from Mysore Palace for the Vardhanti celebrations. As per the tradition of the temple, members of the erstwhile royal family take part in the Vardhanti.
The Vardhanti is being celebrated on the day, when the then Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar of the Yadu Dynasty presented the Utsava Murthy of the Goddess to the temple. The Maharaja installed the idol in Revathi Nakshatra of Ashada masa, in the temple, in the early 19th century. Earlier, there was no Utsava Murthy. Since the Maharaja presented the idol, the Vardhanti is being celebrated, said Chief Priest N. Shashishekar Dixit.
The Vardhanti is celebrated only at Chamundeshwari Temple, atop the Chamundi Hill, among the temples of the Goddess, the Priest added.
It may be noted that the devotees were not allowed for the Vardhanti celebrations during the last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Free bus facility
A dedicated fleet of 50 KSRTC buses has been provided and each bus can carry 50 devotees. This apart, there will be regular trips to Chamundi Hill from the City Bus Stand and this service will not be free.
The free bus facility from the Lalitha Mahal Grounds will be available from 3 am to 10 pm on all Ashada Fridays and from 7 am on Chamundeshwari Vardhanti day tomorrow.
Well, this bus facility is only for the ordinary visitors. The VIPs-the politicians, officers of all categories from the police department to all others including the city’s commissioners, and of course the very rich who acquired their wealth through illegal means, there are plenty of them in Karnataka, can use their cars on the Hill Road . They get special darshans arranged by the temple chief administrator and the chief priest ( who is appointed in dynastic succession, blaming just Nehru dynasty is not enough!!), and can get into the sanctum sanctorum of the Goddess, standing just a few feet away from the Goddess.! Satisfied, these rich VIPs thrust a thick wad of Rupee notes into the hand of the chief priest and reward the temple chief administrator well too. They have open invitations to visit the temple for their special darshans!
Both the temple chief administrator and the chief priest, are very rich now. They get free accommodation, free utilities and take a large share of th e daily cooked prasadams, fruits and even the vegetables bought for the purpose. Their household food bills are zero!
The rumour is, the temple chief administrator and the chief priest are just waiting for the Mysore airport expansion, and the visits of the Malayalee crime gang leaders in Gulf States, most of them are Nairs from Kerala, who are in the gold smuggling business, currently using the 4 airports in Kerala; they reward similar chief administrators and chief priests in Kerala temples with gold ingots, for facilitating their special darshans. They have plans to expand their business into Mysore, soon after the Mysore airport establishes direct non-stop A320/737 flights from Doha.
Hence, the chief administrator of this temple is fighting to stay in his position, further few years-assuring the ministers of a slice of these special darshan money from the VIPs; ofcourse as the dynastic appointee the chief priest is firmly in place until he gets very old!
Sir,
As far as I know, there is no special Darsan in any temples in Kerala. There is no ticket also for Darsan. Some temples like Guruvayur temple have a separate queue for seniors etc. during a specified time.
Hey Balakrishnan
Your information is wrong. I have witnessed them when the wealthy entered the Tirunanthapuram temple. As for Guruvarur, the same. VIPs are very much welcome there. Do your research properly. Money talks!!
Hey Balakrishnan
You are unaware of the situation at the trunanthapuram and Guruvayur temples! Money talks!
Interesting debates about , temples, temple authorities, money for special darshans and priest.
The Chamndi Temple authorities and priests are very mild when compared to their counterparts in Kerala, They are law unto themselves. They will arrange special darshans if they think that is advantageous to them! Yet to come across not wealthy temple authorities and priests!