The Chikkamagaluru district administration has introduced new safety measures for the Deviramma hill festival on November 7 and 8, including ropes on dangerous stretches, a multi-department mock drill and a ban on night trekking. Thousands of devotees are expected to climb the steep hill to visit the shrine during the annual gathering.
Deputy commissioner Bhanwar Singh Meena reviewed preparations after trekking the route with a team of officials. He first held a meeting with government departments and temple committees at 6.30am before inspecting the hill and the access conditions. “We have made all arrangements for safety and smooth darshan,” Meena said, according to the report.
The hill is described as steep, slippery and covered by dense forest for most of the year. During the festival, large numbers of devotees climb the near-vertical route together to seek darshan of Deviramma, a deity widely revered in the Malnad region. The terrain and crowd movement create specific risks, particularly on stretches vulnerable to slipping and landslides.
To reduce those risks, new ropes have been installed at dangerous and landslide-prone sections of the climbing route. The fire, health and police departments have also conducted a mock drill along the route. The exercise was described as the first such drill held for the festival and was intended to coordinate responses among departments before the gathering begins.
The administration has also changed the timing of access to the hill shrine. On November 7, the puja will be conducted from 6am to 10am, and devotees will be permitted to climb only after the ritual is completed. Darshan will remain open on both November 7 and 8.
Night trekking has been prohibited based on the administration’s assessment of the higher risk after dark. Devotees will be allowed to enter the hill shrine by 4pm, according to the reported arrangements. The restrictions are intended to manage movement on a route where visibility, terrain and crowd density can affect safety.
The inspection and drill involved senior district and police officials, including superintendent of police Jitendra Kumar Dayama, additional SP C T Jayakumar, assistant commissioner Pururaj Singh Solanki, tahsildar Reshma Shetty and temple committee president Kulashekar. The administration’s next operational step is to implement the revised puja, climbing and darshan timings during the two-day festival.
