The mild showers that lashed the City on Sunday evening and night added colour to the already colourful mega Dasara procession of Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple. In fact, the whole City celebrated the fest with pomp and gaiety.
The procession highlighted all the religious and cultural activities taking place in and around the City for the past nine days as part of the Dasara celebrations. Decorated with colourful lighting, the tableaux and statues brought forth a divine world for the thousands of devotees who took part in the jubilation.
The Dasara procession that was flagged off from Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple at around 5 pm, culminated at the same venue in the wee hours of Monday. Despite the night-long hectic activities and rush, the mass did not lose its cheerfulness. The devotees felt the rain that lashed the City in the evening as a blessing rather than a disturbance.
The statues of Lord Mahaganapathi, Navadurgas and Sharada Matha were the main attractions of the procession, while different cultural troupes invited from the across different states added to the beauty.
Thrilling ‘chende vadana’ of artistes from Kerala, dance troupes of various folk and cultural backgrounds, dholak performances of teams from Maharashtra, ‘Kolata’ by Malamuralikrishna team of Andhra Pradesh, district’s very own Shilpa puppet troupe of Kalladka, colourful giant umbrellas from Trissur, attractive ‘huli veshas,’ professional band teams, local bhajan groups and various tableaux narrating the mythology, history and religious reflections of the nation... enriched the memories of thousands of devotees.
The procession proceeded through Mannagudda, Lady Hill Circle, Lalbagh, Ballalbagh, PVS Circle, Navabharat Circle, K S Rao Road, Hampankatta, University College, GHS Road, Carstreet, Alake and finally concluded at Kudroli. Devotees offered special poojas to the idols in the procession at various places. Crackers illuminated the sky at regular intervals till the wee hours.
Sunday proved to be an advantage to the procession. As the business centres remained closed and the roads wore a deserted look, the entire focus was towards the celebrations. The traffic too was not affected much. However, elaborate security arrangements were made to prevent any untoward incidents.
People were seen confirming their place on buildings and balconies from 4 pm itself in order to witness the once-in-a-year bonanza. Roadside vendors and petty shop owners were the most fortunate ones as they made brisk business till dawn.
