Navratri 2021: Devotees throng Himachal temples, Dussehra festival begins in Mysuru

Shimla, October 7

Hundreds of devotees assembled in different parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday and offered prayers on the onset of the nine-day Navratri, considered an auspicious period by Hindus. But Covid-19 vaccination is a must for the devotees visiting the temples.

One of the busiest shrines in north India, the hilltop Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district saw a majority of pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.

The popular shrines of Chintpurni in Una district and Jwalaji and Brajeshwari Devi temples in Kangra district witnessed a huge rush.

"We are expecting a daily arrival of 25,000 to 30,000 devotees during the Navratri," an official at the Naina Devi shrine told IANS over phone.

Officials said only those devotees who had the final vaccination certificate or RT-PCR negative report, not older than 72 hours, would be allowed to enter the temples across the state.

Devotees would be able to watch online live "darshan" of Brajeshwari Devi, Naina Devi, Chintpurni and Jwalaji temples. They would also be able to offer online offerings.

Security has been beefed up and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed to manage the crowd in all the prominent shrines, a senior police official told IANS.

The festival will conclude on October 15.

Dussehra fest in Mysuru

Mysuru: The countdown has begun for the inauguration of the Dussehra festival atop the Chamundeshwari hill on Thursday morning. Former Karnataka Chief Minister and veteran BJP leader S.M. Krishna will launch the 'Nada Habba' in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and set the ball rolling for Navaratri festivities.

This will be 412th Dussehra Navratri that was started by the erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom in 1610 AD.  

A stage has been set up atop Chamundeshwari Hills as the Indian Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains. The district administration has arranged water-proof pandals to accommodate the dignitaries on the dais and also 400 attendees.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, celebrations will be toned down. The rituals for the festival began at 4.30 a.m. on Thursday.

The main idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in the temple atop the hill will be decorated with nine types of 'alankaras' (embellishment) during the nine days of Navratri.

The district administration has banned the entry of the public to Chamundeshwari Hill till Thursday noon and the inauguration is set to be a VIP event. Union Ministers from state Prahlad Joshi, Rajeev Chandrashekar,  A. Narayanaswamy and Bhagavanth Khuba will also be in attendance.

Bommai will inaugurate the week-long Dussehra cultural programmes in the Mysuru Palace premises at 6 pm on Thursday. He will also confer the State Sangeetha Vidwan award to noted mridanga artiste A.V. Anand.

All participants, including government officials, are being asked to carry a negative RT-PCR report from a test conducted after October 4 for entrance at the festival venues.

Dussehra festival will culminate with Jumbo Savari on October 15, which will take place only within the Palace premises due to Covid restrictions.

All events of the festivities will be live-streamed.

PM Modi greets people

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday greeted people on the beginning of Navratri.

“May Navratri be the bringer of strength, good health and prosperity in everyone's lives,” he said.  Modi tweeted, "Navratri greetings to everyone. The coming days are about devoting ourselves to the worship of Jagat Janani Maa. May Navratri be the bringer of strength, good health and prosperity in everyone's lives." IANS/PTI

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