Mysuru: Thousands of devotees gathered at the Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Temple atop Chamundi Hill to seek darshana of the presiding deity, adorned in Mahalakshmi alankara, on the final Ashada Friday.

Despite light rain and overcast weather, devotees began arriving at the hill as early as 5 am. Large queues formed at the temple as people waited for darshana and participated in the special rituals conducted to mark the auspicious occasion.

The last Ashada Friday was also celebrated with religious fervour at Chamundeshwari temples across Mysuru city and the surrounding region, with special pujas and distribution of prasada.

Devotees climb steps to fulfil vows

Several devotees chose to climb the steps leading to the Chamundi Hill temple despite the weather conditions. Some devotees fulfilled their religious vows by applying turmeric and vermillion to the steps while making their way uphill.

Devotees from Mysuru and neighbouring areas arrived throughout the morning, while people from outside Karnataka also joined the celebrations.

A sizeable number of devotees from Erode, Salem, Sathyamangalam and Chennai visited the temple, as the final Ashada Friday coincided with their observance of Aadi Velli.

Several devotees were also seen breaking Idigayi in front of the temple as part of their vows.

Temple decorated for special occasion

The temple was decorated elaborately with colourful flowers and fruits for the final Ashada Friday celebrations.

Special archanas, abhishekas and pujas were performed at the sanctum sanctorum from early morning.

The main ritual culminated with the performance of Mahamangalarathi to Goddess Chamundeshwari, who was adorned in Mahalakshmi alankara.

Later, the procession idol was decorated with a colourful blue and pink silk saree, jewellery and flowers, allowing devotees to have darshana of the beautifully adorned deity.

The rituals were guided and supervised by chief priest N Shashishekara Dixith.

Political leaders visit temple

Several political leaders and public figures also visited Chamundi Hill and offered prayers to Goddess Chamundeshwari.

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who has reportedly been visiting Chamundi Hill during the Ashada month for the past 15 years, paid obeisance to the deity.

Former ministers K S Eshwarappa, Mankala Vaidya and Aravind Limbavali, MLA H D Revanna and several others also visited the temple on Friday.

The presence of dignitaries added to the gathering at the hill, where devotees continued to arrive for darshana throughout the day.

Special arrangements for devotees

As in previous Fridays and weekends during the Ashada month, private vehicles were not permitted to travel to the hilltop.

The restriction on private vehicle movement was imposed from 10 pm on Thursday until 6 am on Monday to manage the large number of devotees and ensure smoother traffic movement around the hill.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operated additional buses to transport devotees from designated points in Mysuru.

KSRTC operates additional buses

According to KSRTC Divisional Controller (Urban) Jagadish, the corporation operated 25 buses from Shashiranjan Grounds and 102 buses from the City Bus Stand to facilitate the movement of devotees.

Five Volvo buses were also allocated to transport VIPs and devotees who had purchased the Rs 2,000 tickets.

The additional bus services helped devotees reach Chamundi Hill without relying on private vehicles, while the restrictions also helped authorities manage the heavy movement expected during the religious celebration.

Crowd reportedly lower than previous occasions

Although thousands of devotees visited Chamundi Hill on the final Ashada Friday, visitors and people familiar with the celebrations observed that the crowd appeared to be lower compared with the first Ashada Friday and the corresponding occasion last year.

Nevertheless, devotees continued to arrive from early morning and participate in the special rituals.

The final Ashada Friday brought the month-long celebrations at Chamundi Hill to a close on a devotional note, with the temple witnessing a steady flow of devotees seeking the blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari.

The combination of special decorations, religious rituals, traditional vows and elaborate transport arrangements ensured that devotees could participate in the celebrations despite the light rain and cloudy conditions.