KARTIK POOJA
Kartik Masa is known as a month of Lights. Most of the Temples in Dakshina Kannada perform Vanabhojana or Teppotsava where lots of lights are lit in the Temples.
At Shri Shankarnarayana Temple, may be several years ago, Vanabhojana was being celebrated. But it was not being observed till recent past and it was Late Smt Radha Bai, wife of Dr. K Manjunath, Managing Trustee for over 50 years, who revived the same. About ten years ago she launched the function on a magnanimous scale, by lighting one lakh oil lamps. As all of them could not be lit at the same time, the festival was celebrated over 5 days period.
The whole of Hattiangadi village participated in this gala event - some arranging the lamps in the right place, others pouring oil into the lamps, still others adjusting wicks and finally all rushing to light the same. When all the 20,000 lamps were lit it was just fantastic sight a very memorable event indeed.
This tempo could not be maintained in the consecutive years, there was rather a lull. Then it was revived, mostly at private functions. Since past four years, it has assumed regular proportion. In the morning Dhatri Homa is performed followed by Santarpana. In the evening after the special pooja, the Utsava Moorthy is carried on the head and taken round the middle pouli of the Temple. This is followed by Ashtavadhana Seva, and finally Mangalaarathi. Some of the photos presented here show you a glimpse of the event.
Lights all over
Photo in the natural light.