News Karnataka
Thursday, March 28 2024
Cricket
Mangaluru

Mangaluru Dasara 2020, to be a subdued affair – No procession, no street lighting!

Photo Credit :

MangaloreDasara2Mangaluru: Mangalore Dasara like the Mangalore Buns is famous all over the world! But Covid19 has muted the enjoyment of both, first with the lockdown and thereafter with the strict guidelines in place!

With the State Govt. decided to go in for a no-frills Dasara in Mysuru, the Temple management Committee of Sri Gokarnanatha Kshethra – the place where all roads lead to during the celebration of the Mangalore Dasara – under the instruction from its chief patron and former Union minister senior congress leader Janardhana Poojary has decided to hold the Mangaluru Dasara from 17 October 2020 by adhering to government rules/directions on the pandemic.

Usually, thousands of people from various parts of the country gather here to witness the Dasara celebrations which are next only to the Mysuru Dasara in grandeur. But this year everything is subdued due to measures to curb the pandemic.

This will mean no Procession of Navadurga idols that formed the centerpiece of Mangaluru Dasara. No lighting too. The 5 km route of the procession used to be lit up with dazzling twinkling lights but this year, we will only see the street lights – if they are in good condition after the monsoon! However, the temple premises will be lit up to the main road.

MangaloreDasara1

About 10 Artists have already started the work on making the idols of Navadurga, Goddess Sharada, and Lord Ganesha. All idols will be installed on the first day of the Dasara festivities and religious rituals held traditionally over the years during the nine days will be observed in full.

Social distancing and masks will be enforced inside the halls where the idols are kept for worship. Immersion rituals are not as yet clear. It too could be a simple affair with the idols taken in a procession around the sprawling temple premises and immersed in the Kalyani of the temple adjacent to the temple.

Hitherto, the idols were immersed in the early hours on the day after the procession that usually starts around 5 pm on Vijayadashami day.

Padmaraj, the Temple Committee treasurer said “we want to maintain the tradition, despite the challenges of the Pandemic”.

Janardhana Poojari has urged the devotees to adhere to every single instruction that the temple committee gives as per government directions, and help in successfully conducting the event. “We will pray to the Gods to help mankind overcome the effects of this pandemic. It was the blessings of the presiding deity-Lord Gokarnanatha and the Navadurgies, that me and my family members recently recovered from Coronavirus.”

Share this:
MANY DROPS MAKE AN OCEAN
Support NewsKarnataka's quality independent journalism with a small contribution.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

To get the latest news on WhatsApp