The COVID-19 pandemic in Mysuru district has pushed all festivals and temple fairs in the slow lane. If the pandemic had not hit so badly, these fairs would attract lakhs of devotees who used to take part in the festivities with enthusiasm.

The mandatory adherence to protocols like social distancing, wearing of masks and the ban on touching the idols, entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temples, distribution of prasada and striking the bells have also dampened the enthusiasm of pilgrims. Bound by the responsibility of controlling the pandemic, the Mysuru District Administration too has imposed restrictions on popular fairs including Siddalingapura Subramanya Shashti Jatra, Beladakuppe Sri Mahadeshwaraswamy Jatra and the famous Panchalinga Darshana Mahotsava at Talakad in Mysuru taluk.

Talakad Panchalinga Darshana Mahotsava from Dec. 10 to Dec. 19

The Panchalinga Darshana Mahotsava at Talakad too will be celebrated in a low-key manner. As per the order issued by the Mysuru DC, there will be entry of a maximum of 1,000 people per day and 1,500 persons on the special day Dec. 14 as recommended by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for COVID-19 in Karnataka. 

The last Panchalinga Darshana Mahotsava was held in 2013. Panchalinga Darshana entails a visit to the five major Shiva temples located in and around Talakad on a single day. The deities worshipped are Sri Vaidyanatheshwara, Sri Maruleshwara, Mudukuthore Sri Mallikarjunaswamy, Sri Pathaleshwara and Sri Arakeshwara.

The TAC, which met recently in Bengaluru to discuss the arrangements for the event, recommended live proceedings of the main events. It said the events should be held in a simple manner and broadcast virtually, apart from live telecast on TV. These measures will help contain the spread of virus, the Committee opined.

The Committee has recommended that the event must be restricted to the people of T. Narasipur taluk and local population and people from outside must not be allowed. Even here, measures like wearing of masks, thermal screening, checking for symptoms and physical distancing must be maintained, said the TAC in its observation. 

Also, social distancing markings on the floor must be ensured along with availability of liquid soap and sanitisers. Even to control limited crowd, marshals and Police must be deployed, the panel said. Facilities for isolation and testing, presence of ambulance for shifting those testing positive or with symptoms, have been re-commended by the TAC.

Panchalinga Darshana is among most popular religious festivals held in Mysuru where devotees from across the country crowd temples, some of which are covered in the sand for rest of the year. 

The festival usually is held for 10 days and this year, the Darshana is set to commence from Dec. 10.  As per the schedule released by the temple management, the main event of Panchalinga Darshana will be on Dec. 14 from 7.30 am. There will be Brahmarathotsava on Dec. 15, Shanyanotsava and Ashwarohana on Dec. 16 and Nandi Vahanotsava on Dec. 19.

Beladakuppe Mahadeshwara Temple Jatra from Dec. 13 to Dec.16

The Beladakuppe Mahadeshwara Temple Jatra inside the core area of Bandipur Tiger Reserve too will remain out of bounds to a large number of devotees as entry has been restricted owing to the pandemic. Public entry has been restricted by the Mysuru DC from Dec. 13 to Dec. 16.

However, the temple priests and the temple committee members have been permitted to conduct rituals within the inner precincts of the temple.

The temple is located inside the Hediyala range (Saragur taluk) of the Tiger Reserve and every year thousands of people attend the temple fair from Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Mandya districts. As per the restraint order issued by the Mysuru DC, the festival is usually held in Karthika month and people come here in hundreds of bullock carts. They usually camp inside the temple for the entire duration of the festival and cook meals inside the core forest area. Last year, over 1,200 bullock carts had arrived at the venue along with hundreds of other vehicles. This year, however, considering the pandemic, disturbance to the wildlife and also to ensure safety of devotees from wild animals, the Forest Department had made a strong case to prevent people from entering the Tiger Reserve.  Every year, the Forest Department has a hard task to balance religious sentiments of the people while trying to ensure that the disturbance to the forest is minimised.

Considering the feedback from the Department, the DC has restricted entry of devotees on all four days of the festival. However, there is no bar for the priests, temple management committee and temple staff to conduct the rituals in a traditional way.

Siddalingapura Subramanya Shashti Jatra on Dec. 20

Thousands of devotees usually throng Subramanya Swamy Temple at Siddalingapura on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway to pay their obeisance to the deity on account of Subramanya Shashti Jatra. This year, entry of devotees/ public has been banned by the Mysuru DC for the Jatra to be held on Dec. 20.

However, the Jatra programmes will be held within the Temple premises in a simple, traditional and safe manner, following the Government guidelines.

The restrictions have been imposed by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rohini Sindhuri with powers vested with her under Karnataka Epidemic Diseases COVID-19 Regulations 2020 – Rule 12 and Disaster Management Act 2005 – Column 12 and Column 30 (2) & 34.