Mysore/Mysuru: Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill witnessed an overwhelming number of devotees this morning, as thousands of worshippers from various parts of the State and beyond gathered to seek the divine blessings on the fourth and final Ashada (Shukravara) Friday.

The sacred rituals and pujas commenced as early as 3.30 am, starting with Mahanyasa Purvaka Rudrabhishekam, followed by various Abhishekas, Sahasranamaarchane and other ceremonial offerings. The culmination of these rituals took place with the auspicious Maha Mangalaarathi at approximately 5.30 am. Subsequently, Temple gates were opened for devotees.

Devotees had already begun arriving at the Temple in the wee hours, availing themselves of the free KSRTC buses. The queues stretched longer and longer as the hours passed. To facilitate the transportation of devotees to the Hilltop, more than 40 buses were deployed by the KSRTC from the Lalitha Mahal grounds.

As part of crowd control and maintaining law and order, private vehicles were prohibited from accessing the Hill Temple on all four Ashada Fridays (June 23, June 30, July 7, and July 14), as well as on Chamundi Vardhanti — birthday of the Goddess (July 10).

All categories of Darshans, including Dharma Darshana, Rs.300 tickets and Rs.50 tickets, witnessed longer queues compared to the previous three Ashada Fridays. As per the directives of the Muzrai Department, elderly citizens aged above 65 years were granted direct entry for Darshan, a practice followed in the preceding Ashada Fridays.

The clear weather in the morning further contributed to the flow of devotees during the early hours. Additional ticketed buses, including those operating under the Shakti scheme (free for women passengers), were scheduled from the City Bus Stand to the Chamundi Hill.

Notably, an unusually large number of devotees were observed ascending the Hill steps as early as 2 am. In anticipation of the massive gathering, the Chamundi Betta Ulisi Samiti and Parisara Balaga had stationed volunteers along the Hill steps to collect plastic waste such as empty water bottles and covers from the devotees, in an effort to maintain a plastic-free environment around the Hill.

The Temple was adorned magnificently for final Ashada Friday, with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari embellished in resplendent ‘Mahalakshmi Alankara’ and Utsava Murthy of the Goddess sported ‘Nagalakshmi Alankara’. The Temple will remain open for devotees till 10 pm.

Distinguished Judges from various Courts were among the VIPs who sought the divine blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari today. Former MLA Anitha Kumaraswamy too sought the blessings.

Special pujas and rituals were conducted at all Chamundeshwari Temples in city, which were decorated for the occasion. Prasadam was distributed to all the devotees as part of the celebrations.