Oceanic crowd witness ‘Vittla Pindi’ in Temple Town
Pics By Janardhan Kodavoor and Divakar Hiriyadka
Udupi: The temple town became a witness for the magnificent cultural extravaganza immersed in the gist of spiritualism on the occasion of ‘Krishna Leelothsava’ also known as ‘Vittal Pindi’ in the midst of an oceanic crowd in Udupi on Friday, August 26.
The three-day celebrations concluded with the immersion of the clay idol of Lord Krishna, in the Madhwa Sarovar by Paryaya Pejawar Math Shree Vishwesha Theeratha Swamiji and Shree Vishwa Prasanna Swamiji after taking it in a magnificent procession around the Car Street in the golden chariot.
Various rituals besides routine Pujas were held throughout the day. The clay idol of ‘Balakrishna’ was mounted on the golden chariot and was brought in an elaborate and grand procession at 3:30 pm. The procession was led by ‘huli vesha’ (tiger dance) and other cultural tableaux. Swamijis gave away coconuts, fruits, eatables like laddoos and coins as ‘Prasadam’ at the huge crowd assembled at Car Street to witness the events.
The occasion also marked the breaking of pots filled with milk and saffron, which signified the childhood plays of Lord Sri Krishna. The ritual was held in front of the clay idol of the Lord during the procession. The ritual was performed with around 12 to 15 pots filled with curd, milk, saffron water, which were tied one after the other to the poles erected for the purpose. This was broken by the men dressed as shepherds using huge bamboo sticks.
The entire city was bestowed with a festive environment and the Car Street was specially decorated with flowers. The temple was specially decorated with the sanctum sanctorum being adorned with flowers and tulsi petals. The entire Car Street was flooded with people. Several folk and fancy troupes including several ‘tiger dance’ troupes added color to the procession. Police had made elaborate security arrangements in the city for the smooth conduct of the event.