BENGALURU: If there is one temple in Karnataka that is visited by the highest number of Shiva devotees, it is Dharmasthala. Thousands of devotees from Bengaluru and other places visit Dharmasthala every day for the darshan of Lord Manjunatha. Along with that, they stand in queue for hours and have darshan.
For devotees travelling from Bengaluru to Dharmasthala, the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) has started tour package to Dharmasthala, Kukke Subrahmanya, and Southadka in Dakshina Kannada district.
In the first phase, this tour package of two days and one night is being launched once a week as a trial and starts from Saturday in an AC deluxe bus. The specialty of this package is that, just like quick darshan was arranged earlier for Tirupati, similarly devotees going through this package will have a separate line at Dharmasthala, and arrangements have been made for quick darshan of Sri Manjunatha.
This means children and the elderly will not have to wait. There are two levels of packages in this: the premium package is Rs 4,450 per person and includes hotel stay and breakfast. The budget-friendly package will be Rs 3,450 per person KSTDC is offering this package for the convenience of devotees and travel enthusiasts, and providing an opportunity for quick darshan of Lord Manjunatha is special. Henceforth, people from the capital will be able to have a quick darshan of Lord Manjunatha soon.
KSTDC general manager (transport Venugopal R told Public TV, “Our Tirupati package is already very popular and we are now starting with the Dharmasthala package. For now, we will have trials on Saturdays and based on response, we can consider daily services. An air-conditioned bus will leave on Saturday afternoon and return the next evening”.
Further, he said, “We have a budget and premium packages and devotees will get quick darshan as they will be taken through a priority lane. From Dharmasthala, the bus will head to Southadka, Kukke Subrahmanya and return to Bengaluru the next day”.
Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala is not just a name or only a religious place, it is a power. The faith of crores of devotees in the state. Thousands of devotees visit this dharmakshetra every day. Likewise, there is a large number of Manjunatha devotees in Bengaluru too, and for devotees visiting Dharmasthala, Kukke, and Southkadka from the capital.
