Pics: Thejaswi U Poojary
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)
Udupi, Jan 17: In the run-up to the grand Shiroor Paryaya Mahotsava at the Sri Krishna Temple in Udupi, thousands of devotees and organizations have come forward with abundant hore kanike (traditional offerings of food and essentials) to support the large-scale preparation of Krishna prasada (sacred food) and annadana (mass feeding) for devotees expected paryaya.
The collection of offerings began on January 10 and till January 17, with the storerooms at ‘Sri Anna Vittala Ugrana’ rapidly filling up. Alongside agricultural produce, vegetables and other edibles, large quantities of staple items required for devotional feasts have been received from associations, community groups and individual donors.
Several groups, banks, and community bodies have brought in generous offerings, including, Thousands of rice sacks, banana stems, oil, jaggery, coconut, mattu gulla, brinjals, banana leaves and other vegetables, salt, sugar, toor dal, areca nut offerings, and a range of other essential items
The Paryaya Mahotsava, a biennial religious event at the historic Sri Krishna Temple in Udupi, marks the ceremonial transfer of the temple’s spiritual leadership and administrative responsibilities among the traditional Ashta Mathas (eight monasteries). This year, Shiroor Matha’s Sri Vedavardhana Teertha Swamiji will assume charge and lead the worship and management of the temple for the next two years beginning on January 18.
About 2 to 3 lac people are expected during the Paryaya celebration. Mass feeding (annadana) is planned from January 17 to 22, serving tens of thousands of devotees each day. The Paryaya festivities have drawn devotees from across Karnataka and other states, heightening the importance of hore kanike as a devotional and logistical support for feeding the multitudes.
The tradition of hore kanike and community contributions is deeply rooted in the religious culture of Udupi, where collective participation in temple rituals reflects shared faith and social solidarity. Farmers bring the first harvests, families offer home-grown produce, and institutions contribute bulk provisions that help sustain the massive communal food distribution, which is considered both a religious duty and a service to humanity.
Multiple social, religious and community organizations, including individuals, have offered grains, vegetables and other essentials. The offerings support the traditional mass feeding programs (annadana) for the large number of devotees expected during the festival.
Speaking on the occasion, Sandeep Kumar Manja, in-charge of Sri Anna Vittala Ugrana, said the response from the community has been overwhelming. “Even before the festival begins, the volume of contributions has been remarkable. In just five days, around 40,000 kilograms of jaggery, 4,800 kilograms of rice, 15,000 kashi pumpkins, 5,000 mattugulla, five tonnes of bucket jaggery from Dharwad, along with coconuts and other essentials have been collected,” he said. He further explained that approximately 14 grams of rice is used to prepare the naivedya for Udupi Sri Balakrishna during the afternoon offering, while about 14 coconuts are utilized for ritual purposes from each house.