Pics: Brijesh Garody
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (PS)
 
Mangalore, Apr 14: The fifth annual feast of Shree Gopalkrishna Temple, Shakti Nagar, will be organized with ‘Koti Namarchane’ from April 20 to 29, informed Prof M B Puranik, working president of Koti Namarchana Samithi, at a press meet held at the temple premises on Friday April 13.
 
This 11-day programme will be inaugurated on Thursday April 19 by Shree Raghaveshwarabharathi Mahaswamy of Shree Ramachandrapura Mutt and chief minister (CM) Sadananda Gowda will partake in the valedictory ceremony to be held on Sunday April 29. With the recitation of ‘Vishnu Sahasranama’, Brahmashree Vedamurthy Arikkady Narayana Devapoojitthaya will lead the ‘Archane’ ritual with more than 108 priests from morning 6.30 am to 12 pm. Each day 10 lac basil leaves will be offered to the deity Shree Gopalakrishna.

K C Naik, managing trustee of the temple, said that though it is said ‘Koti (crore) Namarchane’, it is expected to reach one and a half crore. “As many as 2 to 3 lac devotees will visit the temple in 11 days’ time. Various committees have been working to make the programme a grand success. Shree Kshetra Dharmastala Dharmadhikari Dr D Virendra Hegde is the honorary president of the Koti Namarchana committee,” he said.
 
“There will be 10 lac each basil leaves pouring in from various temples on 10 days,” he added.
 
There will be ‘prasada bhojana’ (food) from 7 am to 10 pm on all the days and there will be cultural programmes too.
 
Leelaksha Karkera, media committee member, Dr A V Shetty, trustee, Dr K V Devadiga, trustee, Suguna C Naik, trustee, Krishnakumar, manager, and K V Raman, cultural committee chief, were present during the press meet.