Devotees perform rituals for Datta Jayanti

Devotees wore Datta Mala to mark the beginning of Datta Jayanti campaign organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal on Thursday.

After offering pooja to Guru Dattatreya at the Kamadhenu Ganapathy Temple on Ratnagiri road, the devotees wore Datta Mala and sang songs in the praise of Guru Dattatreya. Rituals such as 'Gana Homa', a sacred fire ritual, were held under the guidance of priest Raghunatha Avadhani.

Temple head M S Nanjundaswamy initiated the Datta Jayanti Abhiyan by offering malas to the devotees of Lord Dattatreya.

VHP district president B A Shivashankar, vice president Prem Kiran, secretary Yogesh Raj Urs, Bajrang Dal district convener Manjunath Tudukuru, BJP leaders Varasiddhi Venugopal and K Ravindranatha Prabhu were among the 100 devotees who wore the Datta Malas.

Those who wear the malas will observe austerities for 11 days. As per an age-old practice, they collect alms referred to as 'Padi' (rice and jaggery) from three households, before the day leaving to Datta Peetha.

Anasuya Jayanti will be held on December 1. Women will take out Sankeerthana procession at 9.30 am, before leaving for Datta Peetha. The Shobha Yatra and a public meet will be held on December 2.

Datta Peetha Darshana, sacred fire rituals and religious programme will be conducted on December 3, on the occasion of Datta Jayanti.