A sea of devotees gather in Chamundi Hills on the first Friday of Ashada
A large number of devotees at the Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on the occasion of the first Friday of the Ashada season. | Photo credit: MA Sriram
On the first Friday of Ashada, a sea of devotees thronged the Chamundi Hills to offer prayers at the Sri Chamundeshwari Temple.
The temple was beautifully decorated with flowers for the occasion while the district administration made elaborate arrangements to handle the huge influx of devotees from Mysuru and neighboring districts.
The temple opened for devotees at 5.30 am after the completion of special rituals of Goddess Chamundeshwari. Thousands of devotees started arriving in the early hours to complete the darshan before the rush peaked.
As private vehicles were prohibited from ascending Chamundi Hills during Ashada Fridays, KSRTC operated special buses from a makeshift bus stand at the foot of the hill near the Lalitha Mahal Palace. Devotees started lining up at the bus stand before dawn to reach the temple early. At the foot of the hill, separate parking lots for passenger vehicles have been established.
Entry of private vehicles to the hill remains prohibited during the festival season on all Ashada Fridays and weekends, with exceptions for authorized and VIP vehicles only.
Elaborate security arrangements, including CCTV surveillance over the hill, have been put in place to ensure smooth crowd management.
Unlike last year, the temple administration has discontinued the ₹300 special darshan ticket. This year, the Chamundeshwari Temple Development Authority introduced a special ₹2,000 darshan ticket. Holders of special darshan tickets were transported to the temple in air-conditioned buses from the foothill bus stand.
A total of 70 special buses, including 20 air-conditioned buses, were deployed to ferry devotees to the hill throughout the day. Regular buses carried devotees who opted for free darshan.
Apart from using the bus service, a large number of devotees also climbed the steps leading to the temple as an act of devotion. Among the prominent visitors was Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s wife who offered special prayers at the temple.
Mysuru District Chief Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, MLA GT Deve Gowda and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal along with several other elected representatives also visited the temple.
Published – 17 Jul 2026 20:03 IST