Lakshadeepotsava at Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala from tomorrow

MANGALURU: Lakshadeepotsava ceremony of Sri Manjunath Swamy of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala will be celebrated at Sri Kshetra from November 24 to 29. The Sarva Dharma and Sahitya sammelans that are being conducted as part of the lakshadeepotsava since 1933 will be held this year too on November 27 and 28 respectively, noted B Yashovarma, secretary, reception committee, Sarvadharma and Sahitya Sammelans.
Celebrations will start with the inauguration of state-level exhibition on Thursday at 5.30pm, which will be open to all for the next seven days.Cultural programmes will be held every evening in the exhibition ground. Lalitakala ghosti will be held on November 26 and samavasarana puja on November 29. Eminent people from various walks of life will be the chief guests.
The Sri Kshetra has adopted the latest technology — offline cellular system (OCS) to help trace missing persons and also indicate areas with highest density of population at the Kshetra. A five-member team from Nashik, Maharashtra, headed by Kaushal Bhag, is overseeing the implementation of the OCS. OCS was devised by students of K K Wagh College of Arts, Commerce, Science and Computer Science, Nashik and developed by Bhag, an active member of Nasa.
The team has set up eight electromagnetic counting units, which enables them to trace a person even if his/her cell phone is switched off. The team has successfully tested the OCS in Kumbh Mela at Nashik and Ujjain. The footfalls at Sri Kshetra crosses into lakhs, especially on the two days of the sammelans.