People offer cinders to appease village deity here

Custom

On Monday, hundreds of devotees, who had gathered at the temple premises, were overwhelmed with devotion and were seen chanting the name of the deity when the cinders were collected, surprisingly, in cotton bags and offered it to the deity.

The practice of offering cinders to the deity has been followed with tradition since centuries.
The devotees themselves were seen filling the bags with bare hands, which were later poured on a plantain leaf in front of the idol.

Surprisingly, the person who fills it into the bags and another person who carries the cinders do not suffer any injuries. This attracts people in large numbers to attend the festival. Earlier, the idol was taken in  a procession on the main roads of the town and devotees were seen accompanying it by holding coconuts on their hands, which is a tradition that is followed here. The vessel that is used for measuring and the cotton bags are also taken on a procession. The houses in the village were decorated with colourful rangolis as part of the festival and the main roads and the temple was adorned with buntings and plantain stalks.

Two women injured

Two women, who were watching the ‘kondotsava’ at the temple premises standing above a construction covered with cement sheets were injured, when it caved in.

Bhagyamma and Rajamma of Golipura and Aalur were the injured. They were given the first-aid treatment at the primary health centre.

It is said that more than 25 women had climbed atop a building that was covered with cement sheets, which gave way unable to bear the weight.