Rain fury results in fewer footfalls at temples in DK

MANGALURU: The temples in Dakshina Kannada which usually see a huge rush of devotees are witnessing a drastic reduction in footfalls after rain fury in the region.
The temples that are seeing fewer footfalls these days are Kukke Subrahmanya in Sullia and Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara temple, which are situated close to the ghats in the district.

The major cause is the Charmadi Ghat roadblock due to copious rains that resulted in mudslides in the past few days. It was reopened on Thursday night for light vehicular movement. Despite rainy season, till commencement of Ashada, all the temples in coastal district see heavy footfalls, but rains which resulted in havoc has forced them not to take risk in visiting the places.

"On average, Kukke temple witnesses footfall of around 10,000 devotees per day and it increases during weekends. Due to rains, the number has reduced to half," M H Ravindra, executive officer of Kukke Subrahmanya temple, told TOI.

According to Ravindra, devotees who visit Kukke, the richest muzrai temple in the state, take the Charmadi Ghat and Shiradi Ghat to reach. However, Shiradi has been closed for repair works and Charmadi Ghat remained shut for a few days due to mudslides. Not many use Sampaje Ghat as it is not viable and the distance is longer. There is also a tradition that people visit Kukke only after offering prayers at Dharmasthala and not vice-versa. Most of these devotees come from North Karnataka, Kolar, Tumakuru and Bengaluru.

The Dharmasthala temple, too, has witnessed drop in devotees from a few days. According to sources from police department, rain fury is to be blamed for the reduced footfalls. "Every day thousands of devotees visit this temple and it doubles during weekends. We will come to know on Saturday if people are convinced that rains in Dakshina Kannada have abated and it's safe for them to travel," said a police official.

Meanwhile, the KSRTC depot in Dharmasthala, which had stopped operations, resumed on Friday. A senior official said that approximately 240 buses (to and fro) operate from the single depot and carry thousands of passengers. The effect is felt on temples situated in Mangaluru city, too, where some of the devotees pay a quick visit to them during their pilgrimage.