Mysuru: The Mysuru royal family has fenced off the Lalitha Mahal Grounds, a site traditionally used to park vehicles of devotees visiting Chamundi Hills during Ashada Fridays. Tens of thousands of devotees visit the temple every Friday during Ashadamasa.Since private vehicles are not permitted on the hill during the festival period, the grounds have long served as a crucial parking facility. With access now restricted, the district administration has been forced to identify an alternative site for parking and other arrangements ahead of the annual Ashada festivities, which will begin in mid-July.The issue is expected to create logistical challenges for authorities as preparations gather pace. Officials are assessing available options to ensure smooth management of the large influx of devotees expected during the festival season. According to temple chief priest N Shashishekar Dixit, the Ashada celebrations will begin on July 17 this year.To avoid traffic congestion atop the hills, the district administration has been arranging parking facilities for devotees at the Lalitha Mahal Grounds on Fridays for the past decade. From there, free buses were operated to ferry devotees to the temple. However, this year, the royal family has fenced the grounds, stating that it is private property. As a result, the district administration and police are now required to find an alternative site for parking.“The Lalitha Mahal Grounds is an ideal location for vehicle parking arrangements. Finding an alternative site near the temple is difficult. With the number of devotees increasing every year during Ashada Fridays, the onus is now on the district administration and police to identify another suitable location,” said devotees.Deputy commissioner G Lakshmikantha Reddy was unavailable for comment. Commissioner of police Seema Latkar said details will be shared once the district administration finalises the arrangements.
