Mysore/Mysuru: With the dawn of New Year 2023, a mad rush was witnessed at temples and tourist spots in the city this morning. While the devout-minded were heading towards the temples nearby, tourists were thronging various spots as the first day of the year coincided with Sunday, a general holiday.

Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill, one of the key spots for religious tourism, has been witnessing a sea of devotees, who with various vows were seen paying their obeisance at the feet of the presiding deity.

Apart from tourists and devotees, the residents of the Hill — for whom every auspicious day begins with the darshan of the Goddess — joined the serpentine queue outside the Temple.

As entry to the shrine had been prohibited from last night from 9 to 6 am today to check revellers, devotees were eagerly waiting to visit the temple for darshan.

Those who found it difficult to wait in the queue were seen praying to the Goddess from outside. The common prayer of everybody being peaceful and prosperous life during the year.

Similar was the scene at various other prominent temples in the region like Nanjangud Srikanteshwaraswamy Temple, 101 Ganapathi Temple at Agrahara in Mysuru, Sri Ranganathaswamy and Nimishamba Temples at Srirangapatna to name a few.

Most of the roads led to Sri Yoganarasimhaswamy Temple at Vijayanagar where two lakh laddoos specially prepared to sweeten the New Year mood are being distributed.

Even before the crack of dawn, devotees were waiting in serpentine queues outside the temple from 4 am, stretching up to Aishwarya Petrol Bunk junction on the Mysuru-Hunsur Road.

Office-bearers of several organisations and associations sought the blessings of the Temple Founder Prof. Bhashyam Swamiji and got their calendars released to mark the occasion.

Prominent tourist spots like Mysore Palace and Mysuru Zoo were also teeming with tourists, with Flower Show organised as part of the Winter Festival being an added attraction.

President of the Mysuru Hotel Owners Association C. Narayanagowda said, “The New Year celebration was a big success as people came out in large numbers. Even though the Police had issued permission till 1 am, fortunately, no untoward incidents were reported. The liquor transaction during the day alone can be estimated at Rs. 20 crore.”