Annual Hasanamba Temple Fest Concludes, Record Revenue from Offerings, unfair to old and infirm

Hassan: The annual Hasanamba Temple festival, which draws devotees from across the country, concluded with the ceremonial closing of the sanctum doors at midnight on Sunday The temple deity Hasanamba, known for granting darshan only once a year, witnessed lakhs of devotees and dignitaries visiting before the sanctum doors were sealed.

The temple authorities have now commenced the counting of offerings from the temple’s hundi. The process, involving over 500 personnel and monitored by the Temple Administrator and Sub-Divisional Officer, along with the Tehsildar, has revealed record-breaking revenue. Devotees have contributed generously, offering cash, silver, and gold ornaments.

The counting operation, supported by bank officials to ensure accuracy, has been extensive due to the unprecedented volume of offerings. The festival, which ran from 24 October to 3 November, also garnered significant income through special darshan tickets and the sale of laddoos, totalling ₹9,67,27,180.

However, not everybody is happy about the process of granting darshan to the devotees. According to a rough estimate by the local pressure groups, over one lakh, people could not secure darshan due to delays; out of a total of 18 lakh footfalls into the temple precincts, only 16.97 lakh people could get entry into the temple. The ruthless system that prevails in the process of the temple darshan senior citizens, old folks, and feeble who wanted to have darshan were not able to secure darshan due to the faulty system and process and insensitive bureaucracy towards devotees who were physically not able; in the process, even the young people who accompanied their parents, grandparents, and old relatives could not get the darshan. Many people wanted to complain against the system, but there was not even a suggestion box anywhere the pressure groups reported.

An elder of the pressure group told Hans India on terms of anonymity that those who could not get the darshan were because the management preferred the influential, officials, politicians and rich people to them. Every time a ‘person with a halo’ came around with his entourage, he was ushered inside and given an elaborate darshan with special poojas and Mangalarati, which took considerable time. He remembered when the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and his entourage came, over 45 minutes were lost; likewise, over 15,000 of the ‘preferred’ or 'more equal’ devotees had darshan this way, with varying time lapse.