Famed Nanjangud rathotsava held with religious fervour as devotees thronged temple town

Thousands of devotees participate in the annual Pancha Maha Rathotsava in Nanjangud, a sacred pilgrimage center near Mysuru.

Devotees in thousands took part in the famed Pancha Maha Rathotsava, conducted with religious fervour in Nanjangud, on Wednesday.

The temple town, which is called Dakshina Kashi and known for the Sri Nanjundeshwara or Srikanteshwara temple, came alive with religious frenzy with the devotees congregating in large numbers for the annual event from different parts of the State.

Located about 26 km from Mysuru and on the banks of the river Kapila, Nanjangud is a sacred pilgrimage centre since time immemorial. The Pancha Maha Rathotsava – which is also known as Doddajathre in the local parlance - is one of the biggest chariot or car festivals of the State.

It features five chariots, which are pulled by devotees, and they are Sri Ganesha Ratha, Gautama Ratha, which is dedicated to the principal deity Lord Srikanteshwara, Parvathi Ratha, Subramanya Ratha, and Chandikeshwara Ratha.

The rituals associated with the car festival and special religious rites to the main shrine and the processional idol commenced at midnight and continued through dawn, after which the processional idol of Srikanteshwara was placed on the Gautama Ratha at 5.40 a.m. A battery of priests, led by Nagachandra Dikshit, conducted the ceremonies, including homas, after which the devotees began pulling the five chariots.

The five rathas were decorated with buntings and flowers, and the devotees surged forward to get their hands on the rope and pull the chariot.

The first of the five chariots to get off the block was the Ganesha Ratha followed by other chariots which moved slowly along the 1.5 km long Ratha Beedi and circumambulated the temple. The cynosure of all eyes was the Gautama Ratha, which is about 90 feet tall and weighs nearly 110 tonnes. A special squad clad in uniform monitored the movement of the five Rathas.