Vairamudi Utsav in Melkote today

Melkote Chaluvanarayanaswamy temple, in Mandya district, has geared up to host the annual Vairmudi utsav, scheduled to be celebrated on March 30.

Thousands of devotees from across the State and also Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will arrive at the temple town to participate in the festivities, while the idol adorned with diamond studded crown is taken out in a procession.

Special pujas and rituals will be held on March 30 at 8 pm, and the deity decorated with the diamond crown will be taken out in a procession on the thoroughfares of the town. It will conclude at 4 am.

The whole town has been illuminated, with the temple tower and the road leading to Yoga Narasimhaswamy temple has been decorated with coloured bulbs.

The gold ornaments and the crown, which are kept in the treasury will be brought to Melkote amidst heavy security on Monday morning.

LCD TV screens have been installed at 10 places to enable the devotees to watch the rituals inside the temple.

Basic facilities
Drinking water facilities have been provided and barricades have been erected at places for the benefit of the visitors. Temporary rooms have been erected for women devotees for changing clothes, with women police providing security. KSRTC is plying additional buses to Melkote from various parts of the districts and other states also.

About 1,500 police personnel will be deputed for the smooth conduct of the festival. Sale of liquor has been prohibited in five km radius of the town.

H L Nagaraju, Assistant Commissioner, Pandavapura, said, measures have been taken to provide drinking water, parking facility and maintaining cleanliness and hygiene during the festival. Police security has been beefed up, he added.