1L devotees to take out procession atop Vindhyagiri

Jain Mutt seer Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Swami on Tuesday, said a huge procession is being organised atop the Vindhyagiri on February 16, with more than one lakh devotees expected to participate. Speaking to reporters here, he said, in all 24 palanquins, five chariots, six religious epics, silver palanquin of Dakshina Kannada, Dharmadhwaja and around 20 folk troupes will add colour to the procession, which will begin at 2 pm and end at 7 pm.

Mahamastakabhisheka with 108 kalashas will be held for the Bahubali statue on February 17 from 2 pm to 6 pm and attended by 350 Jain munis. The public will be allowed darshan from evening.

Around 5,000 people will be allowed to sit on the attic. From February 18, abhishekas will be held from 8 am to 1.30 pm. The public can have darshan and perform abhisheka after that, the seer explained. Vardhamanasagar Maharaj, who has participated in three Mahamastakabhisheka festivals, has arrived from Rajasthan. Tyaginagar, which accommodates munis is full, and alternative arrangements are being made for other munis, he said. Earlier, the officials tested the strength of the scaffolding constructed using German technology atop Vindhyagiri, with more than 3,000 people seated on it. A rehearsal of where the munis, dignitaries and others would be seated was conducted and safety measures were tested.

Hassan DC Rohini Sindhuri, SP Rahul Kumar, PWD engineer Nagaraj and the officials of the construction company inspected the procedure.

Sindhuri said around 5,000 people can be seated on the scaffolding. Separate galleries have been created and seating arrangements have been made for munis, dignitaries, mediapersons and those who purchase the kalashas.

Rahul Kumar said 10 CCTV cameras have been installed around the scaffolding. Safety arrangements can be viewed from the control room and wireless system is being used. As only 5,000 people can be seated on the scaffolding, only devotees with passes are allowed, he said.