Srirangapatna: Srirangapatna Tahsildar M.V. Roopa carried the diamond-studded ‘Vairamudi’ of Lord Cheluvanarayana in Melukote and walked barefoot up to 1-km in hot sun this morning. Hundreds of devotees accompanied her, chanting slogans. 

Vairamudi Utsav where the idol of Lord Cheluvanarayana will be adorned with ‘Vairamudi’ at Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple at Melukote today as part of ‘Kiritadharana Mahotsava’. The Vairamudi is kept safe in Mandya Treasury and is brought to the temple for the festival. 

The vehicle started from Mandya this morning carrying ‘Vairamudi’, ‘Rajamudi’, ‘Gandabherunda’, and other ornaments and usually, the vehicle stops at Kirangooru-Darasakuppe in Srirangapatna and Pandavapura for the devotees to pray. As the vehicle reached Kirangooru, Tahsildar Roopa carried Vairamudi on her head. Impressed with the act, local villagers garlanded the officer and she walked barefoot up to one kilometre under the hot sun and burning asphalt on the road. Her act came in for huge appreciation as this is for the first time the Vairamudi was carried to such a distance by a Government officer. 

Usually, officers carry it on their heads symbolically and offer prayers. At Pandavapura too, Melukote MLA C.S. Puttaraju, Pandavapura AC Shivanandamurthy performed pujas to Vairamudi and symbolically carried it on their heads. 

Grand procession of Vairamudi-adorned Lord Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy (‘Vairamudi Kireetadharana Padiyatta’) will commence this evening.

Fondly called Chellapillai (beloved son), lord Cheluvanarayana Swamy with his consorts Goddesses Sridevi and Bhudevi Kalyananayaki will give Darshan to the anxiously wailing devotees. 

Devotees from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu come to Melukote to witness the religious event of adorning the ‘Vairamudi’ to the presiding deity. The idol of Cheluvanarayana Swamy with the ‘Vairamudi’ will be taken out in the procession through the main streets of Melukote amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests.

The ornaments were donated to Lord Cheluvanarayana Swamy by the Wadiyars of Mysore. The valuables will be returned to the District Treasury after the festival.