The Hasanamba Temple sanctum in Hassan reopened on Thursday after a year-long closure, beginning the Hasanamba Jatra Mahotsava and drawing thousands of devotees who gathered outside the temple for darshan. Public entry was restricted during the opening ceremony, but police later allowed devotees to enter and offer prayers.
The sanctum sanctorum, regarded as the seat of the presiding deity of Hassan city, was ceremonially opened at 12.28pm. Before the reopening, royal descendant Nanjaraja Urs circumambulated the temple three times and cut a bunch of bananas with a long sword as part of the traditional ritual.
After the final puja, the temple doors opened amid chants of “Jai Hasanamba”. Devotees rushed to collect pieces of the banana stem used during the ceremony. Special rituals, including Kumkumarchane and torch worship, were conducted at the temple entrance.
The ceremony was attended by religious leaders, ministers, elected representatives and senior officials. Those present included Nirmalanandanatha Swami of Adichunchanagiri Mutt, Siddalinga Swami of Siddaganga Mutt, Shivananandapuri Swami of Kanaka Guru Peetha, minister KM Shivalingegowda, Muzrai minister Basavanthappa, MP Shreyas M Patel, MLA HP Swaroop Prakash, deputy commissioner KS Latha Kumari and superintendent of police Shubhanwita.
The gathering created long queues outside the temple as devotees waited for entry. The police response shifted after the opening ceremony, with officials permitting people to enter and offer prayers. The arrangements place crowd movement and access management at the centre of the annual event, which attracts visitors to the city during the limited period when the sanctum is open.
Public darshan will continue until November 10, while the sanctum doors are scheduled to close on November 11. Minister Basavanthappa said he prayed for relief for drought-hit farmers during his visit.
Shivalingegowda said arrangements had been made to provide round-the-clock darshan from Friday. Additional priests will support the service during the remaining period, according to the minister. The next major operational milestone for devotees is the start of round-the-clock darshan, followed by the scheduled closure of the sanctum on November 11.
