Photos : Kateel Studio, Report Mega Media News Team

Exotic Car Festival in Kateelu ends

22.04.10 Mangalore : One of the most well known and established ancient temples in the D.K coastal region, namely Kateelu Durga Parameshwari Goddess temple had its annual car Festival on the night of Wednesday, when thousands of devotees had their spiritual fill in the various religious rites conducted during the annual events connected with a great colourful Jatra in flow near the Nandini River that surrounds the temple lovingly and provides water to bathe before entering the holy precincts and to drink when throats go dry in heat.

To begin with, the festival had a colourful decorated palanquin procession led by Mahalaxmi (temple elephant) with about ten thousand smiling devotees moving on the road. The goddess received Arathis at about 50 kattes (raised platforms) near homes of these devotees in nearby villages. The golden palanquin proceeded upto Yekkaru village with crowds thronging on both sides of the path, bowing to the idols carried by volunteers of the temple on a spring season night errand.

As usual around 1 A.M. (past-midnight) the goddess met with the Kodamanithaya Bhuta (spirit) at Shibarur Village. The meet over, the devotees returned to Kateel with the palanquin and idols for the giant car festival in the dead of the night.

The main idol of the Durga goddess was then placed in the huge decorated chariot (Theru) to the deafening noises of colourful fireworks in the sky. The car procession had many folk dancers on spring horses, tall tattiraya dolls in mimicry, music band lines of burning lamps of oil, and ‘chande’ players in rhythm. After the goddess was worshipped sitting in the tall chariot, people standing around got flowers, plantains, coconuts, sweets and other offerings made to the Deity earlier by the priests who threw them on the crowds. After the chariot was pulled, the goddess idol was taken on a small ‘Chandra Mandala’ car to the nearby Ajaru for a holy bath in the Nandini waters. The priests accompanying the idols, as also local residents of Attur and Kodattur villages also had their bath in the river then.

Some of the local devotees held torches made up of palm leaves (called Soote) while returning to Kateelu from Ajaru, along with the idols held by priests after their bath. They took part in the “Sootedar Seva” in which the torch - bearers are pushed and pulled on the road for a kilometer. Elders of the villages take care to avoid any untoward incidents during this religious play undertaken by the torch -holding devotees.

Late in the night before dawn, a ‘Kola’ (play) by the Kodamattaya Bhuta (spirit) in its colourful attire took place near the temple. Subsequently, the goddess was taken inside the temple for a Mahamangalarthi after the usual Baliseva, signifying the end of the festival.

The Garuda Dhwaja raised during the Jatra now comes down at that moment.

It is said that about a lakh of people visited the temple during the length of the annual Jatra festival. They came from all over Karnataka. The Palanquin and Car processions were watched by a quarter of that population at night.