Sharanabasaveshwar temple complex in Kalaburagi. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
Tens of thousands of devotees from various parts of the state witnessed the 204th Sharanabasaveshwar Rathotsava, an annual car festival held as part of the Sharanabasaveshwara Jatra Mahotsava, at Kalaburagi on Sunday.
The historic rathotsava commemorates the death anniversary of 18th century saint and social reformer Sharanabasaveshwara. It still attracts devotees across caste, creed and community lines.
This year’s Jatra Mahotsava had a special emotional significance as the celebrations were held for the first time in the absence of the 8th Peetadipathi late Sharanabasawappa Appa, whose leadership shaped the Jatra Mahotsava rituals in the samsthan for several decades.
Continuing the venerated tradition, the ninth Peetadipathi Sri Doddappa Appa, son of Sharanabasawappa Appa, performed the usual rituals before starting the rathotsava.
In a deeply symbolic moment, Sri Doddappa Appa, in the presence of his mother Dakshayini S. Appa, who is the President of the Sharanabasaveshwar Vidya Vardhak Sangha, displayed the sacred silver Prasada Battala (Prasada Bowl) and the Linga Sajjike, a sandalwood enclosure used to preserve the traditional sacred Lingawara Sharanabash.
He then blew the conch shell to signal the start of the rathotsava, after which the devotees enthusiastically pulled the flower-decorated temple chariot around the sprawling temple complex.
In a unique tradition, devotees threw bananas tied with dry dates towards the temple chariot as it moved along the designated route. Devotees from all over Kalaburagi district and neighboring states started arriving at the temple premises as early as 4 am.
By evening, long queues stretched along the main roads leading to the temple and near the famous Appa Lake as devotees, many accompanied by their families, eagerly awaited a glimpse of the grand chariot procession.
Many devotees from nearby villages have taken up padayatra, the inherited spiritual practice of walking long distances to the temple during rathotsava to pray to Saint Sharanabasaveshwar.
A large number of devotees also observed a day-long fast, breaking their fast only after consuming prasada distributed by the Sharanabasaveshwara Samsthan, following a ceremonial chariot pull around the temple complex at around 6.30 pm.
The fortnight-long Jatra Mahotsava that begins with the rathotsava is considered to be the largest religious congregation in the Kalyana region of Karnataka.
Since Sunday morning, several voluntary organizations have been distributing food, fruits, juices, buttermilk and drinking water to devotees at various junctions and streets connecting the historic temple.
Published – 8 March 2026 21:17 IST
