Yellu Amavasya Observed with Great Devotion in Udupi
Udupi: A large number of devotees bathed in the Arabian Sea at Malpe here on Saturday, January 5 on the occasion of Yellu Amavasya.
As per the Hindu calendar, it is considered to be an auspicious occasion to have a dip in the sea. In Karnataka, this day is known as Yellu Amavasya. People flock to the nearest sea or river to take a holy dip. After bathing, the devotees offer “Tarpanas”.
To observe this auspicious day of Yellu Amavasya, thousands of devotees converged at Malpe, Thottam and Padubidri beach as a mark of respect to Mother Earth and to offer ‘Puja’ (prayers) to their forefathers. As part of the rituals, a large number of devotees took a sacred dip in the sea and offered ‘Thilanjali’ to their ancestors.
Devotees who took the holy dip this time were considerably higher as compared to the previous years. Police officials and home guards were deployed at the beach to control the crowd.
This festival is observed by farmers throughout Karnataka as a form of thanksgiving to Mother Earth for a bountiful harvest and to Lord Shani for his mercy and blessings.
