Talakkad to host nearly 30 lakh devotees for the annual 10-day festival.
Mysore: The tiny town of Talakkad is getting ready to accommodate nearly 30 lakh devotees who are expected to descend on it for the annual 10-day festival that began on Wednesday. Nineteen temples in the town have received a facelift and the Gokarna pond has been de-silted for the event.
While pilgrims will visit the five temples of Vaidynatheshwara, Patalashwara, Maruleshwara, Malikarjunaswamy and Arakeshwara, dedicated to Lord Shiva located in and around Talakad town during the Panchalinga Darshan- the main event - on December 2, other religious festivities will kick off on Thursday and draw to a close on December 7.
Beautiful arches built at the entrance of the Hemmige Bridge welcome pilgrims to the town, which dates back to the Chola and Kadumba dynasties, and a large number of temporary shelters have been built to lodge them. The Panchayat Raj department is providing water to the pilgrims after testing it to make sure it is safe for drinking and around 800 halls have been opened to help them change their clothes after a dip in the Cauvery river in Mudukutore.
A temporary bridge is being built across the Cauvery river by 100 personnel of the Madras Engineering Group for the convenience of pilgrims arriving from Chamarajnagar district and Kollegal as it will cut their travel distance by 15 kms.
The highlight of the famous festival, the Panchalinga Darshan will see devotees returning to the Vaidynatheshwara Temple after a visit to each of the 19 temples and taking a dip in the Gokrna Pond before heading to the next shrine for a darshan of the deity.
( Source : dc )
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