Udupi: ‘Maari Puja’ Draws Thousands of Devotees to Kaup
Pics: Inchara Digitals  
Daijiworld Media Network—Mumbai (RD/CN)

Udupi, Jul 29: ‘Maari Puja’, an annual worship to the Goddess Mariamma, was held in the three temples dedicated to the deity in Kaup, near here, from the night of Tuesday July 28 to the early morning of Wednesday July 29.  

Thousands of devotees from across the district and neighbouring regions attended the annual event.

Over 25,000 roosters and nearly 500 sheep were offered as sacrifice to Goddess Mariamma by the devotees.

Managing trustee Sridhar Shenoy led the worship at the Hale Mariamma Temple while temple trustee Nadikere Ratnakar Shetty led the worship at Hosa Mariamma Temple and the third Mariamma temple trustee Jayaram Hegde led the worship there.

It is a Tulunadu tradition to offer sacrifices to the Goddess, especially during the month of ‘Aati’, so as to appease her and seek protection for the crops of farmers and to sustain them in their difficulties. 

‘Maari Puja’ is held in all the temples dedicated to the Goddess Mariamma across the district thrice a year, in the months of ‘Aati’, ‘Jarde’ and ‘Suggi’, as per the Tulunadu calendar. 

Innumerable devotees from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasargod, Uttar Karnataka, Malnad districts of Chikmagalur, Shimoga, and also from the neighbouring state of Maharashtra attend the ‘Maari Puja’ conducted in the district here.