Mysuru
The Chamundeshwari Temple is now almost fully prepared for the Ashadha Fridays beginning from June 27. Works are in their final stages, and all arrangements are nearly complete.
From the city bus stand, two bus bays have been constructed with two counters to issue 300-rupee tickets. These tickets must be collected only at the city bus stand counters; under no circumstances will they be issued at Chamundi Hill.
At the Lalitha Mahal parking lot, three ticket counters are being set up. Separate counters for general, Rs 300, and Rs 2,000 tickets are being arranged. 10 to 15 ticket counters will be opened at Lalitha Mahal helipad. Separate queues for UPI, PhonePe, and Google Pay payments will be available.
AI cameras and lighting will be in place for parking management. The queue for general buses will be separate from the queue for Volvo buses for Rs 2,000 ticket holders. Toilet and lighting facilities will be available at the Lalitha Mahal helipad.
Arrangements have been made at the Lalitha Mahal helipad to distribute offerings brought by devotees. Private vehicles including cars, buses, and two-wheelers will not be allowed on the hill.
Devotees who purchase Rs 300 tickets and wait in queue will receive dry fruit packets. There will be wheelchair and medical support for differently-abled persons. Ambulance services will be available near the temple at all times.
Those with Rs 300 tickets will be merged with the Rs 30 ticket line at a designated point with barricading. A separate queue is being arranged for free darshan devotees.
For those in queue, water bottles and toilet facilities are being arranged on Chamundi Hill. Devotees with Rs 300 tickets will be served badam milk (almond milk), which will be distributed in all three defined zones on the hill. Five toilet facilities are being set up for those waiting in line.
All devotees exiting after darshan must leave through a single designated gate. VIPs and Rs 2,000 ticket holders will descend near the Mahishasura statue, from where Revenue Department staff and inspectors will guide them directly for darshan.
There will be exclusive queues for Rs 2,000 ticket holders. No entry will be allowed into the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagudi) through any gate.
For those climbing the hill on foot, the Namma Mysuru Foundation will operate a helpdesk. The Foundation and Solid Waste Management staff will be responsible for cleaning waste generated on the hill.
Those who climb the steps will be allowed to join the general queue near the Rs 30 ticket counter and proceed for darshan.
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Girls aged 18 and above will be given kumkum bangles and Madalakki packets (traditional gifts). Devotees with Rs 2,000 tickets will receive Litre water bottles, laddu, kumkum, and a specially made Sri Chakra kumkum, a Gandaberunda (twin-headed eagle) wristband, and gift boxes, which will also be sold. Prices for these are yet to be finalized.
After darshan, devotees will be served meals at two locations: Inside the bus stand and at Dasoha Bhavan. Water, electricity, and toilet facilities are being provided at all these places.
On Chamundeshwari Amma’s Vardhanti (anniversary) Day, Nandini Milk Dairy will distribute wheat laddus to the public.
PWD is completing new barricading and cement work for the Chamundeshwari Authority, expected to be finished within two days.
All preparations have been made under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikant Reddy, Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, DCPs Mutturaj and Sundar Raj. They have conducted five meetings at Chamundi Hill to coordinate preparations.
J.A. Roopa, Secretary of Chamundeshwari Hill, said that all systems are ready as per their directives.
She has requested devotees not to bring plastic bottles or plastic carry bags to Chamundi Hill, emphasizing the importance of preserving the environment.