Hasanamba temple to open today for jatra mahotsava

The annual Hasanamba jatra mahotsava for the year 2017, begins from October 12, with the opening of the temple doors at 12.30 pm. The darshan will be available round-the-clock during the next eight days.

According to sources, the temple will be opened once in a year in the month of Ashwayuja on the Thursday after Purnima (full moon day), and closed on the Balipadyami day.

The doors of the temple will be open from October 12 to 21 this year.

However, the devotees will not be allowed for darshan of the deity on the opening and closing days (October 12 and 21), according to the temple officials. The timings for conducting of puja to the idol has been shortened to enable the devotees to have darshan. In all, only two hours per day has been allocated for the priests to conduct the rituals and for cleaning.

No pass facility

This year, issuing of passes has been banned for the smooth conduct of the darshan.

The passes had created a lot of confusion during the previous years, as the pass holders demanded entry to the temple directly, while the devotees waiting in queues resisted. Now, arrangements have been made so that the devotees can have darshan within two hours of standing in the queue.

In an effort to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, distribution of prasada has been arranged at Chennakeshavaswamy temple at a distance of 200 metres from the Hasanamba temple.

Tickets are available for those willing to have quick darshan and cost Rs 300 and Rs 1,000, said Temple Administrative Officer H L Nagaraj.

In 2016, the devotees were allowed to have darshan of the idol for 13 days.