Krishnapur Mutt performs Kattige Muhurta ahead of Paryaya

The ritual signifies the start of storing firewood for mass feeding purposes for two years

The Udupi Krishnapur Mutt on Sunday performed Kashta (firewood) Muhurta ahead of taking over the reigns of Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt for the next two years from January 2022 under the Paryaya system.

Kashta or Kattige Muhurta is an age-old ritual being followed by the Ashta Mutts of Udupi ahead of each mutt taking over the next Paryaya.

Storing of firewood in the form and style of a chariot commences with this ritual to undertake mass feeding activities during the two years of Paryaya of the respective Mutt. Krishnapur Mutt performed the Bale (plantain) Muhurta in December last planting plantain saplings to get banana fruits for puja and plantain leaf for mass feeding and then Akki (rice) Muhurta, the process of storing rice for mass feeding, in February this year.

The firewood chariot is erected on the north-eastern side of the Madhwa Sarovara.

Main archak of the mutt Srinivas Upadhyaya earlier performed special pujas to the presiding deities of Krishnapur Mutt Kaliyamardana Krishna and also to Sri Narasimha and conducted Navagraha puja. Thereafter, people carrying firewood on their head had darshan of Sri Chandramouleeshwara and Sri Anantheshwara before arriving at the Kashta Muhurta site. Offering puja to the piled firewood, Krishnapur Mutt felicitated scholars of the Ashta Mutts on the occasion. Srinivas Upadhyaya performed the puja with the assistance of Naveen Mesthri.

At a formal function following the puja, Krishnapur Mutt Seer Sri Vidyasagara Tirtha said that precedents laid down by Sri Vadiraja Tirtha are being followed by the Ashta Mutts for a long time now. The unique system involves pujas to the Almighty not only at the

sanctum sanctorum of the temple but also at every Adhishtana.

Tracing the history of Kashta Muhurta, the seer said that people had no jobs during the rainy season in the olden times. The process of storing firewood used to start a few months before the Paryaya during the rainy season to provide employment to people and one Seru (a unit) of rice was given as remuneration for one bunch of firewood.

Kateel Durgaparameshwari Temple archaks Anantapadmanabha Asranna, Harinarayana Asranna and Kamaladeviprasada Asranna, the former president of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat Dharmadarshi Harikrishna Punarur and others were present.