Over a lakh devotees from different parts of the country witnessed the grand Sri Vairamudi Kireetadharna Mahotsav of Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy at the temple town of Melkote in the district on Monday.
The annual utsav started amid religious fervour on Monday night and continued till early Tuesday.
Diamond crown
Adorned with the diamond studded crown ‘Vairamudi’, which was brought under tight police security from the Mandya treasury, the idol of the presiding deity Cheluvanarayana Swamy was taken out in a procession along the thoroughfares of the town.
The idols of goddesses Sridevi and Bhudevi Kalyananayaki were also taken out in the procession amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests.
The Kireetadharna Mahotsav is one of the most famous religious festivals of south India. And, it is a part of the 13-day Vairamudi Brahmotsav that commenced on March 25.
Devotees from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other places too thronged the temple to witness the annual event. They offered fruits and flowers to the idols during the procession.
Sealed boxes
Earlier in Mandya, at 8.45 a.m., the district administration handed over the sealed boxes containing ‘Vairamudi’, ‘Rajamudi’ and other ornaments to the authorities of the Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple Trust at Melkote to conduct the Kireetadharna Mahotsav, which is also called as ‘Vairamudi Kireetadharna Padiyatta’.
The handing-over programme was delayed by almost an hour following a protest by the fourth priest of the temple demanding the sealed boxes from the district administration. As per the court direction, the first and third priests were allowed to carry the boxes under police security.
Later, the boxes containing the ornaments were opened in the presence of Mandya Deputy Commissioner M.N. Ajay Nagabhushan and others at Melkote before they were placed on the deity under the supervision of the temple priests.
