The number of visitors to Shravanabelagola has been on the rise as the countdown to the anointing of the Bahubali statue has begun. The roads to the pilgrimage centre were busy on Sunday, as hundreds of people visited Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri on the day. The police had a difficult time handling the crowd and vehicles.
Anticipating the continuous increase in the number of visitors in the coming days, the district administration has made arrangements to park private vehicles outside Shravanabelagola. Besides this, visitors will enjoy facilities such as water sports, helicopter rides, etc., in a couple of days.
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Minister for Sericulture and Animal Husbandry A. Manju will inaugurate boating facilities at Janivara Tank on Monday. A private agency has been hired to conduct the operations. Similarly, helicopter rides will start soon. “The trials for helicopter rides will be conducted on Monday. In a couple of days, the public will be allowed to enjoy helicopter rides of 8-10 minutes,” B.N. Varaprasad Reddy, Special Officer (Mahamastakabhisheka), said.
Coconut products
As an effort to promote coconut products, the district administration, in the association of Coconut Growers’ Association, has set up an outlet – Kalpamruta – to sell the products. The outlet, located near Chandragiri, will also be opened soon.
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Public transportation
The district administration has made public transport services available so that people need not take private vehicles in the town.
Those wishing to visit nearby tourist spots can hire two-wheelers offered by a Bengaluru-based organisation. Two-wheelers are offered for the price of ₹150 to ₹300 per day. The bike services are expected to start on Tuesday.