Nanjangud – The Temple Town of Nanjangud came alive with chants in praise of Lord Srikanteshwara as the famous Dodda Jathra festival was held with traditional gaiety and fervour this morning. Lakhs of devotees witnessed the Gauthama Panchamaharathotsava.

Panchamaharathotsava involves the pulling of five Rathas or chariots dedicated to different Gods, by devotees, to the accompaniment of sacred chants and traditional music. Today’s Rathotsava, however, had to face a minor glitch as the left front wheel of the 80-ft main chariot (Lord Srikanteshwara) sank by the side of the road. The wheel of the chariot was later lifted with the help of a JCB and the Rathotsava resumed.

Devotees thronged the temple premises as early as 4 am and witnessed the car festival which was held between 5.20 am and 6.20 am in the auspicious Meena Lagna. Devotees have been coming to the Jathra Mahotsava from various parts of Mysuru district and outside since the last three days.

As the auspicious time began, Srikanteshwara Temple Chief Priest Nagachandra Dixit, accompanied by other temple priests, offered special pujas to the 120-tonne and 80-ft tall chariot that carried the idol of Lord Srikanteshwara before signalling the commencement of the Jathra Mahotsava.

Soon after the puja rituals were completed, the chariot carrying the idol of Lord Ganesha started its journey first along the main streets of Nanjangud and was followed by the chariots Lord Srikanteshwara, Goddess Parvathi, Lord Subramanya and Lord Chandikeshwara.

Specially made ropes measuring 300 ft was brought from Kerala that was held by hundreds of devotees to pull the chariots. All the chariots returned to the main temple premises at 9.15 am signalling the end of the car festival.

DC D. Randeep, AC C.L. Ananda, State Muzarai Commissioner Shadaksharaswamy, Srikanteshwara Temple Executive Officer Jayaprakash were present.

Tight Police security

The District Police had provided tight security around the temple premises, banks of River Kapila, parking lots and other important places. They Muzrai Department had also installed CCTV cameras at important locations to keep a watch on the anti-social elements. Superintendent of Police Ravi D. Channannavar, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mohammed Sujitha and Additional SP Kala Krishnaswamy supervised the security arrangements.

With just two days to go for the Nanjangud by-poll, leaders of both BJP and Congress parties visited the temple premises to witness the Jathra Mahotsava. BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje, Corporator Nandeesh Preetham and local BJP leaders were seen witnessing Jathra standing on top of a building opposite the temple. Congress candidate Kalale Keshavamurthy also visited the temple along with his supporters.

KSRTC had introduced special buses from Mysuru and nearby towns.

Minor glitch

Just as the officials and devotees thought that Jathra Mahotsava would end without any glitches, the left front wheel of the main Srikanteshwara Chariot sank by the side of the road at around 7.20 am on the Chinivarakatte Street as the soil was soggy owing to heavy rainfall last night. The chariot also touched an electric pole on the left side. Fortunately, there was no damage to the chariot as the electricity supply had been cut-off as a precautionary measure.

Later, the officials summoned two JCBs to pull the wheel out and it took around an hour for the wheel to be extracted and the chariot moved further at 8.30 am. Finally, the officials and the devotees heaved a sigh of relief as the chariot arrived at the designated place after going around the main streets.