Hassan: The doors of the Hassanamba temple are open from today, 24 October 2024.
The shrine, whose main deity is Durga, will be open for only nine days of the year, going forward, ending on November 3.
The Hassanamba festival, which attracts attention year after year, will see various events including a Dasara-style lamp lighting programme, a fruit flower display, hot air balloon, and a state-level dance competition.
The sanctum sanctorum will be open to devotees from noon on Thursday.
Last time, as many as 14 lakh devotees had darshan of the Goddess. The district administration is expecting about 25 lakh devotees this year and has made extensive preparations for the footfall.
The temple has been attractively decorated and barricades to manage queues of devotees inside the temple premises are in place.
Traditional models such as German tents are in place for protection from rain and sun and distribution of donne prasad has also been arranged.
This time, the district administration is organizing a Mysore-Dasara type of lighting visual for Hassanamba Devi, which will be similar to the one held during the Siddeshwaraswamy Jatramahotsava, which is also held every year with many special features.
A double-decker bus will be on display to showcase the lighting.
“Many cultural programmes including hot air balloon movement, paragliding and a state-level group dance competition will be held to attract devotees. We have corrected some of the mistakes made last year and have prepared for a grand festival this year. The “Hassanamba app”
now available, will help in online booking for darshan. All arrangements have been made for devotees coming from across the country,” said District Collector C. Satyabhama.
The temple is dedicated to Goddess Shakti, who resides in the form of a “Hutta” in Hassan, and can be seen by devotees only once a year. Every year, the doors of the temple are opened on Ashtami of Ashweeja month.
While the temple will technically be open for 11 days, devotees will be allowed for darshan only over nine days. 24-hour darshan of the Goddess is being allowed and special arrangements have been made for devotees, officials said.
For devotees who want direct and super-fast darshan, a ticket of Rs 1,000 is being offered. Another ticket is priced at Rs 300, for which darshan will take a little longer but will still get over reasonably fast.
“The Goddess will be decorated four times in the day with special clothes and ornaments. Darshan available 24 hours a day, except for small periods of time in between when the alankar is being done,” the chief priest of the temple told Hassan Today.
Devotees to this temple have been increasing year on year, which is why advance planning and elaborate arrangements are being carried out by the district administration.
First attendees
On the day, Dr. Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji, President of the Adichunchanagiri Math, Sri Siddalinga Swamiji of Tumkur Siddaganga Math, District In-charge Minister K.N. Rajanna and MLA H.P. Swaroop Prakash were among the first few who took the deity’s blessings on the day
The sanctum sanctorum was opened in the presence of Arasikere MLA KM Sivalingegowda, District Collector C. Satyabhama, SP Mohammed Sujeta, district administration officials, temple management board officials and other leaders.
Last year, during the closing of the sanctum sanctorum, the lamp was lit and kept in front of the Goddess.
The temple precincts and its surroundings have been specially decorated with different flowers in a mark of reverence to the deity.
This is the first time that dignitaries coming to the temple have two points – one for entry and another for exit.
A 24-hour counter has also been opened for distribution of laddu-prasad.
More than 1,400 policemen have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
