More devotees at Giri this year

The check posts had been put up about three days ago itself and police have been checking all the vehicles going to the peeta.

Dattamaladharis from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mangalore, Karkala, Koppa, Theerthalli, Sringeri and various other regions started coming to Chikmagalur from Monday evening itself. The register at the check post shows that about 106 vehicles and 1,260 devotees had come to Dattapeeta on Tuesday alone.

Though there were speculations that the number of devotees coming to take part in the programme may dwindle this year as Dattamala Abiyan and Datta Jayanthi have been organised on the same day, it was seen that the number of devotees this year was more compared to last year.  Security personnel have been deployed at Gorigandi mosque to avert any untoward incidents.

In Kadur
Meanwhile, over 500 Dattaaladharis took part in the abhiyan. They assembled at Sri Panduranga Kalyan Mantap on Tuesday. Bajarang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishat volunteers took to Dattamala and left from Kadur to take part in the ‘Datta Paduka Darshana’. Bajranga Dal District Co-Convener Mani led the group. The maladharis took out a rally to Bababudangiri on over 40 vehicles shouting slogans, holding Bagavadhwaja.