Kudroli temple decked up for Mangalore Dasara

Kudroli temple decked up for Mangalore Dasara

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, October. 8: Festival season has begun in the city for the devotees of Goddess Durga and Sharada. The 10-day prestigious Dasara celebrations started at the Kudroli temple located in the heart of the city on Friday, October 8. The organizers have made elaborated arrangements for the celebrations which are expected to attract 12 lakh devotees.

 

 

 

Mangalore Dasara celebrations at Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara Temple are one of the biggest festivities in coastal Karnataka. The ten days festival starts with installing the nine idols of Goddess Durga in the decorated hall. The hall is being illuminated with glowing lights.

The celebration of Dasara in Kudroli temple, which is more popularly known with the name, ‘Mangalore Dasara,’ also is called as an alternative to the grand Mysore Dasara. Perhaps, Mangalore Dasara is the only Dasara where the nine idols of Godess Durga are worshipped on a very grand scale with the expenditure running into crores.

The idols of Goddess Sharada Devi and Navadurgas in nine incarnations i.e.,  the goddesses Shail Putri (Parvathi), Brahmacharini (who gives the message of pure love to the world), Chandra Ghanta (who establishes justice and wears crescent moon on her head), Kushmaandini (provider of  basic necessities), Skandaputhri (who gives the gift of differentiation of right from wrong), Katyayini (who persistently battles against evil and deceitful entities), Kaalaratri (who killed Raktabeeja, a demon), Maha Gauri (who liberates the world of evil forces) and Sidhidaathri (who is a treasure house of mystic powers) are invoked to bless the devotees of Mangalore as well as other parts of Mangalore.

The devotees entering the hall where idols of Navadurgas, Sharada, Adishakthi and Mahaganapathy are installed would get the feeling of entering a ‘darbar of gods and goddesses.’ The ten days grand celebration ends with the immersion of Goddess idols in the pond at the premises of Kudroli temple. The people carrying  colourful umbrellas (from Kerala),  tiger dance (pilivesha) and bear dance (karadivesha) troupes, the Kalladka dolls and the illumination of the entire 10-km route of the all-night procession is a feast for the eyes which literally forces every Mangalorean out onto the street to catch a glimpse.

The Mangalore Dasara is unique because of the participation of people, irrespective of caste or creed.

The credit goes to Janardhana Poojary, former Union Minister, who introduced the concept of Mangalore dasara in 1991 in a unique way.  Though Mr Poojary is the whole and soul of the temple and no works in the temple are done without consulting him, neither he nor his family members hold any post in the temple administration.