Temple town reverberates with religious fervour

People thronged the temple to get a glimpse of Lord Krishna in the wee hours on Sunday. The Sri Krishna Temple was the centre of religious and cultural activities.

The entire city and Car Street was decked with flowers. The Car Street was decked with specially erected poles around to hold “Sri Krishna Leelotsava” popularly known as “Vittlapindi” or “Mosarukudike habba” on Monday. Seers of Ashta mutts (eight mutts) and large number of devotees have already come from various parts of the country to take part in the celebrations.

The temple including the sanctum sanctorum was specially decorated with flowers. The “Arghyapradan” (offering of milk and holy water along with “Bilvapatra”) to the clay idol of Lord Sri Krishna was held at 11.45 pm by the devotees under the guidance of Paryaya Sri Laxmivaratheertha to mark the birth of Lord Sri Krishna.

The presiding deity Lord Krishna was decorated by the Paryaya seer in the form of “kneeled Bala Krishna in the cradle”. A large number of devotees from shepherd community from the surrounding places of Udupi district offered “Arghyapradan” in the sanctorum of the temple.

Special poojas were performed at the temple in the midnight after observing a day of fasting by the seers and devotees.

Seers as well as devotees offered special eatables like “laddus” and “Chakkuli” to the Lord on the occasion.

The Paryaya Shiroor mutt has prepared about 1.5 lakh “Chakkulis” and 75,000 Laddus at Sri Krishna temple to distribute among the devotees and the school children from the district coming under mid-day meal programme of Sri Krishna Mutt.

The pontiff is also spending a total of Rs 40 lakh including a total of Rs 15 lakh cash prizes in the form of currency garlands to be given to fancy dress and cultural troupes participating in the Sri Krishna Leelotsava and other competitions on Monday.  

Earlier in the noon, Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade inaugurated Sri Krishna Janmastami competitions organised by Paryaya Shiroor mutt. He donated a sum of Rs one lakh to the temple on the occasion.