Datta Jayanti: Hundreds of devotees visit cave shrine atop Bababudangiri

B.S. Dwarakanath, member of Dharmika Parishat, says he will make efforts to resolve the dispute of the cave shrine

Hundreds of devotees from different places visited Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah, the cave shrine atop Bababudangiri in Chikkamagaluru taluk, to mark the culmination of the three-day Datta Jayanti, on Tuesday.

Former Ministers C.T. Ravi, Pramod Madhwaraj, leaders of Vishwa Hindu Parishat, Bajrang Dal, seers of various mutts were among those who visited the shrine on the day. They all took part in a meeting held outside the shrine.

The district had made elaborate security arrangements with around 4,000 policemen, including those from neighbouring districts, deployed for security.

This time, the leaders of Sri Rama Sene announced that they would hold Datta Jayanti at Nagenahalli, where the Dargah is located. The district administration had taken precautionary measures by clamping prohibitory orders at the place. The top leaders of Sri Rama Sene were barred from entering the district.

Deputy Commissioner Meena Nagaraj and SP Vikram Amathe were at the shrine, supervising the security and other arrangements.

Will resolve

B.S. Dwarakanath, nominated member of Karnataka Dharmika Parishat, has said he will make efforts to resolve the shrine dispute amicably. “The government has given me some responsibility. I wish to resolve it by speaking to the people. If everybody extends cooperation, I will make efforts to resolve it,” he said.

He also said the issue could have been resolved long ago. “However, some people want it to remain alive as it benefits them. The age-old dispute over the Ayodhya temple has been resolved. Similarly, this can be resolved,” he said. Further, he said he was hopeful that Muslims would also be willing to resolve the issue. “Let us not hate anyone and respect all religions. I am willing to be involved wholeheartedly to resolve the dispute,” he added. The syncretic shrine has been caught in recent decades in a legal battle following demand from the Hindutva organisations to declare it a Hindu place of worship.

Ceremonies performed

On Tuesday, devotees clad in saffron clothes stood in a long queue to have the darshana of Datta Paduka in the shrine. The priests appointed by the government conducted homas on the shrine premises, a custom that resumed last year after a gap of almost 20 years.

The devotees wearing Datta Mala reached the shrine by walking from Honnamma Halla, a waterbody in the hill station. Along the way, they raised slogans hailing Datta. The number of visitors by noon was around 4,000. However, later, it increased. The police had a tough time pacifying the crowd.