Hundreds of women take part in Datta Jayanti fete
The three-day Datta Jayanti, organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, began on Tuesday with sankeertana yatre and Anasuya Jayanti celebrations. Hundreds of women devotees participated in the procession held in the town as part of the yatre.
The procession, which began at Bolarameshwara Temple, culminated at Kamadhenu Ganapati Temple. Later the women devotees travelled to Bababudangiri, where they had paduka darshana at Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah.
Sudha Pai, leader of VHP in Chikkamagaluru, speaking on the occasion, said the shrine atop Bababudangiri should be declared a Hindu place of worship. “The government should allow prayers as per Hindu customs. The tombstones placed in the shrine premises should be shifted to Nagenahalli dargah”, she said. The devotees celebrated Anasuya Jayanti atop Bababudangiri. They held homas in a place outside the disputed site.
Minister for Kannada and Culture C.T. Ravi, Chikkamagaluru ZP president Sujata Krishnappa, VHP district working president Shivashankar and others participated in the sankeertana yatre. Senior officers including Deputy Commissioner Bagadi Gautam visited the shrine. The district administration has made arrangements for drinking water, prasada and other basic amenities for the devotees at the shrine. The administration has deployed over 5,000 policemen to avoid any untoward incident during the three-day event.
