Udupi: All set for grand Paryaya festival

Udupi: All set for grand Paryaya festival

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Jan 17, 2016: Vishweshateertha Swamiji of Pejawar Math is ascending the Paryaya Peeta for the fifth time on Monday, January 18. It is a historic moment for the 800-year-old Udupi Krishna mutt, as Sri Vadirajateertha, who changed the Paryaya system from two months to two years, will become the only person from of Sode mutt to occupy the Sarvajna Peeta five times.

The proceedings of the ascension of Sarvajna Peeta begin at the auspicious time of 2:30 am on Monday, 18 January. The Temple town is decked up for the Paryaya, with streets, malls and apartments getting decorated with glittering lights. The religious event is expected to be graced by the who’s who of the political fraternity.

 

In preparation, the temple town is awash with big banners and flex board cut-outs carrying the photographs of Sri Vishwesha Tirtha and junior seer Vishwaprasanna Tirtha. Most of the buildings in the city are illuminated during the night.

The Paryaya procession will begin at 2.30 a.m. on Monday. As many as 11 tableaux and 60 cultural and folk teams from Karnataka and other States will participate in it. The main Paryaya Durbar function will begin at the Ananda Tirtha Mantapa at 6.20 a.m.  Weeklong cultural programmes will begin in the evening at the same venue.

BJP patriarch LK Advani, party leaders like BS Yedurappa, KS Eshwarppa, Prahalad Joshi, Vasundhara Raje, Union ministers like Nitin Gadkari, Ananth Kumar, Suresh Prabhu, Uma Bharathi, Smriti Irani, Sadananda Gowda and many others are expected to attend the function.

From the Congress, Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara, Oscar Fernandez, Veerappa Moily, Dharam Singh and CM Ibrahim are likely to attend the religious event. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Tamil Nadu minister O Panneerselvam are also expected to be in Udupi for Paryaya 2016.

The religious event will be attended by thousands of people across the country. Hence, the city administration has made elaborated security arrangements, including deployment of adequate police forces in and around the city.

Over 60 close circuit television cameras and many watch towers have been operationalised at strategic points to keep a strict vigil on those moving in the temple. The administration has also banned the sale of liquor from 16 January to 18 January in Udupi.