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Bengaluru, October 22 (IANS) The historic Hasanamba festival, held for 13 days in Karnataka’s Hassan district, concluded on Wednesday. Around 26 lakh devotees including celebrities, film actors and prominent politicians from the state visited the temple and had darshan of the goddess.
Through the sale of special darshan tickets and laddu prasad, the temple authorities collected a revenue of Rs 20 crore.
The doors of the historic Hasanamba Temple were opened on 9 October to mark the inauguration of the Hasanamba Jatra Festival. Devotees get the opportunity to have darshan of the Lord only during this annual festival. The temple remains closed during the rest of the year.
An official statement regarding the exact number of devotees and total revenue has not been released yet by the authorities.
The main ‘miracle’ associated with the Hasanamba temple is the preservation of offerings such as food and flowers, which remain fresh and not spoil for a whole year after being kept inside when the temple is sealed. During this time, a traditional lamp also keeps burning in front of the Lord.
The temple opens only for a few days during the Diwali season, and this event related to patronage is considered a proof of the divine presence of the goddess.
Revenue minister and district in-charge of Hassan, Krishna Byre Gowda, who himself stayed at the site and supervised the temple and darshan arrangements, said, “Everything went smoothly. The darshan was stopped yesterday (Tuesday) evening, so the devotees were allowed darshan in the morning.”
He said, “In the normal queue, the waiting time was up to five hours. For those with Rs 300 tickets, the wait was around three hours, while devotees with Rs 1,000 tickets could move freely without waiting on the last day. Today, the entry gates were closed at 5 pm, and darshan for the public ended by 7 pm.”
Hassan Deputy Commissioner KS Latha Kumari said all the arrangements were made smoothly under the leadership of Minister Krishna Byre Gowda.
Superintendent of Police Mohammad Sujitha said a huge crowd of devotees gathered during the 13 days of the festival. “Initially, 1,500 police personnel were deployed to maintain order in the temple complex. Later, the number was increased to 2,500. Our main objective was to ensure that common devotees have a comfortable darshan experience and we worked with that goal in mind,” he said.
Hassan Zilla Panchayat CEO Purnima BR said VIPs were asked to come only during their allotted time slots. Otherwise, they will have to buy a ticket of Rs 1,000 and have darshan with other devotees. The officials also ensured arrangement of drinking water and prasad for the devotees waiting in queues for long hours. “Their needs were taken care of and everything was planned and executed efficiently. It was a collective team effort,” he said.
Amid the ongoing leadership dispute in the state, political discussion has started with the visit of Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President DK Shivakumar after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Hasanamba Temple is considered as the ‘Vaishno Devi of South India’ due to its fame as a major Shaktipeeth and annual inauguration.
–IANS
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