Yathindra Siddaramaiah assesses preparations for Ashada Fridays in Chamundi Hills, Mysuru

Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah takes stock of preparations for Friday’s Friday atop Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on Wednesday (July 15). | Photo credit: MA Sriram

Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah visited Chamundi Hills on Wednesday (July 15) and reviewed the measures taken by the district administration for the ashads to start from July 17.

During the visit, he held discussions with the officials and directed them to make adequate arrangements to ensure that the devotees do not face any inconvenience.

Although arrangements were made for a VIP darshan on the ashads, Dr. Yathindra said that there would be no inconvenience for ordinary devotees.

In an interview with journalists, Dr. Yathindra said VIPs will be allowed darshan only between 5:30 am and 9:30 am “The first priority is to ensure that ordinary devotees have easy access to darshan. Therefore, VIPs arriving after the scheduled time will have to join the general queue,” he explained.

Only vehicles of dignitaries such as legislators, ministers and judges with protocol authorization will be allowed to proceed up the hill. Devotees’ private vehicles will not be allowed to enter the hill on Ashada Friday and Vardhanti festival day.

Everyone has to park their vehicles at the designated parking lot in the Lalitha Mahal palace grounds and travel to the hill by free KSRTC buses, he said.

Vehicles carrying letters of recommendation from influential people will not be allowed to continue up the hill. He said that no special concession or preferential darshan would be given to anyone holding such letters.

Drinking water and resting places have been provided for the convenience of devotees climbing the hill by steps, besides free distribution of badam milk and biscuits, he added.

₹2,000 darshans

Dr. Yathindra also justified the authorities’ move to withdraw the ₹300 darshan ticket and introduce a ₹2,000 ticket.

The queue for ₹300 darshan would be almost as long as the queue for general darshan. So people paying ₹300 for darshan were not getting any special benefit. Hence, the authorities have decided to introduce ₹2,000 darshan ticket on an experimental basis, he said.

Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, Zilla Panchayat CEO S. Yukesh Kumar, Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, Police Inspector Mallikarjun Baladandi, Deputy Commissioners of Police Harsha Priyamvada and Sundar Raj, Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority Secretary Roopa and other officials were present during the inspection.

Published – 15 July 2026 19:00 IST