Mysuru: Chamundi Hills witnessed an overwhelming influx of devotees on the second Ashadha Friday as thousands of worshippers gathered since early morning on Friday to seek the blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari.The annual Ashadha festivities drew a much larger crowd than the first Friday, prompting extensive security arrangements and traffic restrictions to ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims.The presiding deity was adorned in the Mahalakshmi avatar for the second consecutive week, dressed elegantly in a light pink sari and richly decorated with traditional ornaments. The temple premises were embellished with floral arrangements.Special rituals and pujas were performed throughout the day amid devotional chants. Police personnel and temple authorities remained on high alert as thousands queued for darshan. Restrictions on private vehicles were imposed on the hills, with shuttle transport services arranged to facilitate the movement of pilgrims.Several political leaders also visited the temple to offer prayers. Among them, Mandya MLA Ravikumar Ganiga reiterated that he was not an aspirant for a Cabinet berth, stating that with DK Shivakumar from the Vokkaliga community serving as CM, it would not be appropriate for him to seek a ministerial position. Kollegal MLA AR Krishnamurthy, however, expressed his desire for a ministerial berth, citing his seniority, and requested the party high command to consider it. Senior Congress MLA Ashok Pattan also appealed for Cabinet representation based on his long-standing service to the party, while first-time MLA D Ravishankar clarified that he was not seeking a ministerial post.
