'Rathotsava' witnesses a multitude of devotees

The magnificient Rath at the Utsava II Image Source: Internet

Mangalore: The week-long festival from 18th-23rd of January hosted by the Venkataramanan Temple known as 'Rathotsava' came to a colourful end on its sixth day. This yearly event marks the beginning of spring and the northward journey of the Sun. The festival commenced with the Gaja Arohana (flag hoisting) bearing Lord Hanuman and Garuda which signifies their watching over the festivities.

Dr Mohan Pai, a volunteer at the temple said, "Around 60,000 mouths are fed every year at this festival with the support of generously donated money, by the devotees for the event and the money set aside from the temples yearly earnings."

The main attraction is the Rathotsava which alone attracted over 1,00,000 devotees from neighbouring cities. The event witnessed the idol of Lord Srinivasa mounted on the wooden chariot, ridden off the main streets with devotees singing and dancing and priests offering prasadham to the crowd.

"The day, like every year, begins with the Yagna by seeking the blessing of Agni (god of fire) and is followed by a grand lunch. After the maha anna daana (food served by the temple), we (the devotees) gather for an entertaining means of intellectual exchange at the Vaishnava Temple. We sing, dance, recite Vedas and Kavya - poetry and prose; this is enjoyed by each of us and goes on into the night", said one of the devotees at the festival. 

Others events of the grand festival include the Deepotsava which is the festival of lights; and Okuli – a day of colours where bhang (sherbet) is served generously and thousands of people converge to celebrate the happy life by playing holi and filling the streets with colours. 

“The car festival witnessed a brilliant response with a turnover that was much higher than the previous years. The crowd enjoyed the various performances that were put up, especially performance by the group Sangeetha Bharathi. Overall  the function took place without any glitches," said a contented C L Shanai, trustee of Venkataramanan temple.