Chikkamagaluru | Homa conducted on premises of Bababudangiri cave shrine in Chikkamagaluru after 21 years

The rituals were last held at the disputed site in 2001, when the Congress was power

After 21 years, homa and puja rituals as per the Agama system were conducted on the premises of Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah/Peetha, as part of the Datta Jayanti celebrations, atop Bababudangiri in Chikkamagaluru taluk on Thursday, December 8, 2022.

As per the request by Vishwa Hindu Parishat activists, the management committee of the shrine allowed the Rudra Homa and Dattatreya Homa near Tulasi Katte on the shrine premises.

Last time the rituals were held at the disputed site was in 2001, when D.B. Chandre Gowda was the minister in-charge of Chikkamagaluru district under the Congress rule. Since then, the rituals were only allowed outside the cave shrine.

This time homas were conducted in the presence of B.A. Basavaraj, Minister for Urban Development, C.T.Ravi, National General Secretary of BJP and Chikkamagaluru MLA, Deputy Commissioner K.N. Ramesh and members of the management committee.

Hemanth Kumar, president of the management committee, said the government had given its consent to hold the rituals after verifying photos and videos from before 2001 showing the rituals being held on the shrine premises.

The puja was performed inside the shrine by newly-appointed priests. They also offered holy water to the devotees. Hundreds of devotees from Kadur, Sakaleshpur, Udupi and other parts of the State participated.