Dakshina Kannada district celebrates Ram Lalla idol consecration

Deepavali festival celebrated with lighting lamps, prayers, and rituals at various temples in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

Deepavali festival mood prevailed in houses and religious places across Dakshina Kannada with people lighting lamps outside houses, sporting saffron buntings, singing bhajans, and doing arati during the evening of Monday, January 22, to mark the consecration of Lord Rama’s idol in Ayodhya.

People gathered in large numbers at Kadri Manjunatha Temple to witness the consecration live on a big LED screen. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the rituals, many folded their hands while watching the proceedings. A few of the devotees were seen in tears.

Volunteers served Ladoos, Holiges, and buttermilk to devotees. Many devotees had lunch at the temple, where annual temple fair is on since January 15.

Earlier, D. Vedavyas Kamath, Mangaluru City South MLA; Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur, and activists of Bharatiya Janata Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad offered special prayers at the Kadri Temple. Bhajans were conducted throughout the day at Kadri temple. In the evening, lights were lit and the annual Rathotsava was held.

At the Venkataramana temple on Car Street, a special ‘homa’ was performed outside the temple. Shop vendors on the Car Street distributed sweets. Devotees viewed consecration ceremony visuals on the LED screen at the Vittala Rakumai temple on V.T. Road and had food at the temple. Lights were lit outside houses and shops on Car Street and Bhavanti Street in the evening.

At Mannagudda, a tiger dance team had youths sporting the attire of Rama and Lakshmana and standing in front of flexes of the consecration ceremony in the area. A good number of students celebrated the event at the Gopalakrishna temple in Shakti Nagar. Sharada School in Kodialbail served ‘kheer’ to students.

Many students participated in the special bhajan session at Ramakrishan Mutt in the evening. LED Screen was also placed outside Mangaluru Central Railway Station. Lamps were lit along the Rama Lakshmana Jodu Kare Kambla tracks in Goldfinch City in Bangrakuloor.