The first Friday of Ashada drew unprecedented crowds at the Chamundi Hills for a darshan of goddess Chamundeshwari.
The devotees’ congregation at the hill-top began at the crack of dawn with many arriving as early as 3 a.m. to beat the projected rush at the temple during the season.
The temple priests offered special prayers and performed rituals in an elaborate process that lasted over three hours at the sanctum sanctorum after which the devotees were allowed in for darshan at 5.30 a.m.
Private vehicles banned
In view of the anticipated rush, the authorities banned the entry of private vehicles to Chamundi Hills on all Fridays of Ashada so as to regulate crowd and eliminate traffic congestion on the hill-top.
Consequently, private vehicles were parked at Lalitha Mahal helipad grounds from where special KSRTC buses were operated throughout the day and through the darshan hours at night.
The temple precincts were decorated with flowers and security had been beefed up to ensure that crowd regulation was in place to prevent any untoward incidents.
Free meals
The district administration ensured the presence of paramedical staff, temporary medicare centre to handle any emergency apart from providing drinking water facility.
Free meals was organised at Dasoha bhavan besides erecting a large pandal where thousands of people partook meals.
