Hassan: The annual Hassanamba Mahotsav concluded on Sunday with record devotee attendance, with over 18 lakh devotees visiting the presiding deity of Hassan city and district.
The annual Hassanamba Mahotsav in Hassan has come to an end, as the doors of the temple of the presiding deity, Hassanamba, were formally closed in the afternoon. After traditional rituals, the sanctum sanctorum was sealed in the presence of prominent dignitaries and thousands of devotees who thronged to have a last glimpse of the goddess.
The closing ceremony was attended by district in-charge minister K.N. Rajanna, MLA H.P. Swaroop Prakash, Deputy Commissioner C. Sathyabhama, Superintendent of Police Mahammad Sujatha and administrative officer Maruthi, among others. With this, the curtain officially fell on this year’s Hassanamba Mahotsav.
Before the temple doors were shut, the premises were buzzing with devotees, creating a fair-like atmosphere. This year’s festival created several records, with an unprecedented number of visitors due to the long weekend and festive holidays. Thousands of devotees queued up reverently to receive the goddess’ blessings. Over 1.8 million devotees visited Hasanamba during the festival. The temple earned revenue of over Rs 8 crore from special entry tickets priced at Rs 300 and Rs 1,000, as well as from the sale of laddoos and devotional saris. This year marked a historic milestone for the Hasanamba festival, with the highest ever number of devotees and record revenue. The festival included the Siddeshwara Swamy chariot and torch procession, which continued till morning. The public darshan concluded around 6 am, marking the end of the grand celebrations that began on October 24. Devotees from across the country and neighbouring states thronged to seek the goddess’ blessings, making it a truly remarkable event. But lapses persisted as thousands of devotees were unable to have darshan of the lord even after standing in queue for several hours, while officials, politicians and influential people easily managed to get darshan. Many devotees from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu and Uttara Kannada have complained that they had to stand in queue for more than six hours and pay special fee for darshan.
