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.
This post was published on July 19, 2022 6:42 pm