T Narasipura taluk set to host Maha Kumbha Mela from Saturday

Mysuru: Preparations are in full swing for the 11th edition of the Maha Kumbha Mela, the three-day event set to begin on Sunday at T Narasipura taluk. The The mammoth event, with its parallel in the Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh in the North, will witness devotees numbering in thousands throng the Triveni Sangama – the confluence of three rivers, Cauvery, Kapila and Spatika Sarovara – in T Narasipura.
Head of the Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Mutt in Mysuru Someshwaranatha Swami said that the festivities would be inaugurated by Mysuru district in-charge minister GT Devegowda at the Sri Aghateshwara Swamy temple at 8.30am. Former chief minister and Karnataka BJP president BS Yeddyurappa, Varuna MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, Chamarajanagar MP R Dhruvanarayana and LR Shivaramegowda will be among the prominent personalities who will attend the ceremony on Sunday.

A slew of rituals have been lined up on the first day of mela: Ganahoma, Poornahoothi Abhisheka, Mahamangalarathi, Dharma Sabhe, Pravachana, et al. A series of sacrifices have been scheduled on the second day such as Rudra Homa, Navagraha Homa and Sudarshana Homa. Former CM and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah is expected to attend a procession that will be held on the streets of T Narasipura on Monday.

CM HD Kumaraswamy will inaugurate the valedictory on the third and final day of the mela. Chandi Homa will be held on Tuesday to mark the conclusion of the event. Water collected from the seven major rivers of the country will join the waters at the Triveni Sangama in a ritual rich in symbolism. This will be followed by a ceremony wherein devotees will take a dip in the Triveni Sangama. Deputy CM G Parameshwara, water resources minister DK Shivakumar, home minister MB Patil and other Karnataka ministers are expected to attend the rituals on Tuesday.

Someshwarnataha Swami said that the then seers of the Sri Adhichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Mutt, Suttur Mutt, Avadootha Datta Peeta and Omkarashrama Mahasamsthana in 1989. “It has been held without fail every three years since,” said Someshwarnataha Swami, expressing gratitude to the district administration for their efforts to provide facilities to the devotees expected to visit Triveni Sangama.

“Personnel from various departments have taken the lead in ensuring cleanliness, setting up lavatories, creating bathing spaces, etc.,” he added.