Rathotsava draws huge crowds atop Chamundi Hills

A large number of devotees participated in the Chamundeshwari Rathotsava held atop Chamundi Hills here on Saturday.

The car festival seemed to carry forward the fervour and devotion from the recently concluded Dasara, with the hill teeming with devotees from Mysuru and surrounding areas.

The countdown to the car festival commenced at the crack of dawn, with the temple priests conducting various rituals and a special puja to goddess Chamundeshwari. Afterwards, the ‘Utsava Murthy’ (replica of the idol) was placed in a chariot that was pulled by the devotees.

Even as the air was punctuated with the chanting of devotional hymns, an ensemble of musicians played traditional musical instruments. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, scion of the erstwhile royal family, his wife Trishika, and Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of the late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, were among those present.

After the police offered a gun salute, the devotees began pulling the chariot around 7.40 a.m. They took about an hour to circumambulate the temple.

Security was beefed to keep an eye on the steady flow of devotees through the day. Entry of private vehicles to the hilltop was regulated in a bid to curb traffic congestion. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation ran special buses to carry devotees up and down the hill.