Invitation and Video of the forthcoming 150th Mannagudda Gurji Deepothsava Released
Mangaluru : In a land of multiple cultures and traditions, the Mannagudde Gurji Deepothsava Festival ( the Gurji of Mannagudda ) is one of the traditions that was, is and will be upheld by the Mangaloeans for decades. “Gurji” is a Marathi word which means “Ratha” made of wood, and the pillars of which are decorated with various fruits and vegetables. It is considered to be an offering from a part of the seasonal yield. Legend has it that in the yesteryear people would find such exotic fruits and vegetables in this part of the land while it would not be available anywhere nearby. And this year to mark the 150th celebration, a brand new “Ratha/Gurji” will be launched.
One of the famous temples of Mangaluru is the Sharavu Sri Mahaganapathy Temple, located near GHS Road in the heart of the City. The Deeparadhana Utsava of Sharavu Sri Mahaganapathy temple is known as “Mannagudde Gurji”, and this year the 150th Mannagudda Gurji will be held on 24 November 2019. Going back to the history of Mannagudda Gurji- it all started in the year 1869, when a Manglorean Ganapathy devotee named- Sri Kambla Vadiraja Rao belonging to Koteshwar Brahmin Community, where he prays to Sri Sharavu Mahaganapathi to bless him with a male child and vows to get the diety at his house and offer “Katte Pooje”. He started this tradition of building a “Ratha” of wood and decorating it with fruits and vegetables of the season while placing the idol of Lord Ganesha in it with lighted lamps and taking the Ratha around the streets for the people to have a dharsan of the Lord.
Later, a Trust was formed, Mahaganapathy Seva Samithi Trust, to take over the interest of this tradition including organizing the Gurji, construction of the ratha, and distribution of the Prasadam. It is a trust consisting of members of the Brahmin Community and it has taken several steps to put the Gurji Celebration on a firm footing. Since its inception, every year the Deeparadhana Utsava, Mannagudde Gurji, is celebrated as a festival. Devotees offer items such as oil, wicks, fruits, vegetables, coconut, arecanut and flowers of all hues and smell for decoration of the Ratha. Red and white flags are arranged in an array to decorate the dome of the Ratha, and it is illuminated with serial running coloured lights.
The idol of Sri Sharavu Sri Mahaganapathy is placed in a raised platform of the Ratha decorated above and below the platform. The procession starts from the Sharavu Temple and is led by two Tatti Rayas ( hollow giant dolls ) and proceeds through the streets with out-bursts of fire works and jubilation by the devotees. The Lord is worshiped in various places, known as “Katte Pooje”, by the devotees, along its path. The procession finally comes back to the temple for the final Arati.
There will be various religious and cultural programmes like, Bhajan singing by various bhajan troupes, Devotional songs, Yakshagana plays, carnatic music by famous singers, etc. etc. These programmes will continue till the procession comes back to the temple. Thousands of devotees from various parts of Dakshina Kannada district will take part in the Gurji every year. After the Mahapooja, prasadam is distributed to the devotees. Next day the fruits and vegetables are auctioned and the devotees participate in the auction and the auction proceeds are taken as temple receipts. And this year being the 150th year of the Gurji, the organizing committee members are expecting a huge crowd then all these decades.
On Monday, 26 August 2019 a programme was organized to release the INVITATION and VIDEO pertaining to the forthcoming 150th Mannagudda Gurji, at the Sharavu Sri Mahaganapathy Temple Hall, located near GHS Road, Mangaluru. The programme began with a prayer song invoking God’s blessings by Ms Manjula Prabhakaran, followed by welcome address by Vasudeva Rao B- the Working President of the Trust and President of Welcome Committee.
The Invitation of the Gurji Celebration was released by the dignitaries on the dais, namely- CA A Raghavendra Rao and S Raghavendra Shastry-both Honorary Presidents of the Celebrations Special Committee; Y Ramesh Bhat-the President; Sudhakar Rao Pejavar- Hon Secretary; Vasudeva Rao-Working President; P Bhargava Tantri CA- Secretary; Smt Bhanumati Sumanth- President of Womens’ Cell of the Celebration Committee; and Er Rajendra Kalbavi – the Cultural Secretary/coordinator.
Honorary Presidents CA A Raghavendra Rao and S Raghavendra Shastry spoke on the tradition of the Mannagudda Gurji which is dedicated to the deity of Sharavu Shri Mahaganapathi Temple, Mangaluru, and it has been celebrated for the last 149 years with great public enthusiasm, and generosity. They both thanked the devotees for their support all these years, and solicited their encouragement and support in future also. The vote of thanks was proposed by Bhargava Tantri CA, and the programme was professionally compered by ER Rajendra Kalbavi.
Here is a brief summary of Mannagudda Gurji Seva Samithi and its achievements: In 2005 – Specially fabricated metal frames, arranging traditional deepam for 60 meters; 2006 – Constructed 5000 sq ft 2 storeyed building ‘Vadiraja Sabha Graha’ for Gurji activities; 2008 – Magnificent pedestal light stand called ‘Kaludeepa’ purchased for bhajan activities; 2009- Ladies wing of the trust established; 2010- ‘Kalasha’ of the Gurji Mantap covered with gold plate; and in 2011 – A silver Peetham and additional 36 meter long metal frames for arranging traditional deepam
Community Service Activities: The trust has extended its sphere of activity to include community welfare especially, to help the weaker sections. It has established various endowment funds for specific purposes; Vidyanidhi (Education), Arogyanidhi (Health), Sanskritica Nidhi (Cultural Activities), Monetary Fund (for Financial aid), and Donated metal trays for collecting ashes in the Hindu crematorium.
While Celebrating the 150th Gurji Deepothsava in 2019- the main features are organizing cultural, religious and socially helpful programmes every month. The finale of the celebrations will be held by holding the 150th Gurji Festival in a grand manner on November 24, 2019. The Objectives are- Replacement of dilapidated Gurji materials; Enforcement of the various endowment funds; Establishment of cottage industry centres to provide employment for the economically backward; and Construction of ‘Shanthidhama’ in the cremetorium premises and donation of more burial ash trays.
Publication of a Souvenir : It is remarkable that the customs of organizing Gurji Deepothsava Festival at Mannagudda has been gaining popularity and this year it is entering into its 150th year. It has been decided to commemorate the occasion by bringing out souvenir containing useful articles and information. About 2000 copies will be printed and nearly 2 lakhs of people are expected to go through it. The organizing committee will be accepting advertisements from individuals / organizations / commercial concerns for publication in the souvenir. For more details how you can contribute, you can call- B Vasudeva Rao- 9448843011; Bhargava Tantri- 9448383225; Nanda Kumar-9448137336; and Er Rajendra Kalbavi- 9448287534
It should be noted that the Mannagudda Gurji draws huge crowds, and the Gurji will be the cynosure of all eyes of the people of Mangaluru city and the nearby areas.And this year being the 150th year, the organizing committee is gearing up to make it more colourful, glittering extravaganza to be remembered by all the devotees and others who will witness it on 24 November 2019.
