Sri Umamaheshwara annual car festival was held with pomp and show at Shirangala village in the border area of north Kodagu on Monday.

In the grand car festival, devotees from Mysore and Hassan also participated in pulling the chariot.

The car festival which is held in the Phalguna month every year at Sri Umamaheshwara Temple, located on the banks of river Cauvery, reflects rustic life.

Pooja was offered to the idol of Sri Umamaheshwara which was placed in the chariot decorated with flowers and flags. 

The car festival was flagged off at 1 pm and the devotees chanted mantras on the occasion. The chariot passed through the village amidst the sounds of percussion instruments.

Devotees pulled the chariot along with breaking coconuts in front of the chariot throughout the way. The onlookers offered flowers and fruits on the way and the procession ended near the shandy building in the village.
The chariot reached its starting place in the evening.

As part of the car festival, green festoons decorated the village while rangoli was drawn in front of houses. 

Special poojas were offered in the temple from morning. Devotees also visited the temple to offer coconuts, bananas and pooja.

The rituals were held under the guidance of temple committee president Jayaprakash and S S Shivanand.

The Sri Umamaheshwara Jatre which is popularly known as Holegudi jatre draws huge crowd from the plains of Kodagu district every year.