Mahamastakabhisheka from today

Belthangady: The Mahamastakabhisheka of Bhagwan Sri Bahubali will commence at Dharmasthala rom February 16^th onwards. The first anointing will be done by the Dharmadhikari couple and their family from the Meena Lagna at 8:45 am.

Post the routine and procession at 6:30, the Mahamastakabhisheka, evening flag pooja, Sri Bali Vidhana and Mahamangalarathi will be conducted. First the Shraddha Kalasha, Divya Kalasha and Janamangala Kalasha will be conducted which will be followed by a variety of other Kalasha’s including milk, turmeric, sandalwood and others.

The fluids required for the anointing for the individual days are prepared on the very days itself. The milk has been given by KMF while the sugarcane juice has been provided by Shekhar Jain from Dharmasthala. Lift facility has been installed to transport the fluids and pooja goods to the summit.

After the anointing of the flowers, a 35 feet long flower garland will be placed. Finally the day’s Mahamastakabhisheka ends with Mahamangalarathi.

As a precautionary measure, children beneath the age of four are not allowed up the structure. There is a dress code to be followed for entry up the structure where in male have to wear while dhoti and shawl while the women have to wear white chudidhar or white saree.

Cultural programme

At 3 pm in the afternoon, the muni will recite Mangala pravachana at the Amritha varshini hall, there will be music programme by Ustad Faya Khan and team from Bengaluru at 7 m, followed by a dance programme by Sheela Unnikrishnan and team from Chennai and there will also be Odissi dance by Arun Mahanti from Orissa dance academy, Odisha.

Viewer’s gallery

In order to view the Mahamastakabhisheka, a two floor gallery has been constructed on the left side in front of the monolith with the seating capacity of 5,500. Even the public ca view the anointing. Facility has been provided to get down to the road via a queue.

Separate seating facility has been arranged for guests and those taking part in various Kalasha’s. In order to prevent the heat of the sun at Ratnagiri hill, the top has been fixed with nets and the floor has mats installed. All facilities have been properly arranged for the devotees to enjoy and feel the essence of the occasion.

Visit by DC; inspection

On Friday, DK deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil visited Ratnagiri hill, conducted inspection and collected information from the officials. He also spoke with the Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade. Assistant commissioner Dr H K Krishnamurthy, district SP Dr Laxmi Prasad, circle inspector Sandesh and Dharmasthala PSI Avinash were present.