Srirangapatna: The Fort town of Srirangapatna in Mandya District, where Cauvery river, the lifeline of people of Southern parts of the State flows with full force, drew huge crowds from different parts of the State on Mahalaya Amavasya Day on Oct. 6. The town witnessed an unusual rush of people, who arrived  for offering ‘Pinda’ to the river and pray for the salvation of the souls of their departed near and dear ones.

Spots such as Sopanakatte, Gosaighat, Paschima Vahini, Cauvery Sangama and  other places along the banks of Cauvery river, witnessed a large number of people from Hindu faith  offering ‘Pinda’  and ‘Asthi Visarjane’ to the holy river as part of Mahalaya Amavasya.

This rituals in the town will go on till Ayudha Puja Day with Hindus from all over the State descending on the town to pray for the salvation of the souls of their dead near and dear ones.

 Srirangapatna is famous for ‘Asthi Visarjane’ and lakhs of people will visit the town every year for the customary rituals. However, the taluk administration had banned offering of ‘Pinda’ and ‘Asthi Visarjane’ as part of Mahalaya Amavasya for the past two years due to COVID pandemic. But with the pandemic easing with each passing day, the administration had relaxed regulations this year, which enabled people to visit the town to perform their customary rituals for their ancestors.

Meanwhile, Srirangapatna, which is also famous for its temples and had remained almost silent due to the pandemic, has suddenly come alive and kicking, with the number of devotees and tourists visiting the town increasing at a fast pace with each passing day, especially with Srirangapatna Dasara round the corner.

On Wednesday, the famed Ranganathaswamy temple, located on the banks of River Cauvery, saw a huge number of devotees thronging the temple for offering prayers to the deity. The temple was witness to long and serpentine queues, in sharp contrast with earlier days  when hardly a few devotees visited the temple, scared of the pandemic.