Karnataka - Bijapur   

‘Siddeshwar Jatre’ gets off to a colourful start

BIJAPUR: The “Siddeshwar Jatre”, the annual fair that draws thousands of people from the district and elsewhere, got off to a colourful start on the occasion of “Makara Sankranti” here on Tuesday.

Series of religious programmes marked the beginning of the weeklong carnival that includes cultural events, entertainment shows, mass marriage, traditional sports, fireworks and cattle fair.

The Siddeshwar Samsthe, century-old socio-cultural organisation that governs the Siddarameshwar temple, has formed 10 committees for the smooth conduct of the fair.

The unique ritual, in which a character known as “Kumbara Gundavva” marries the “yogadanda” (a sacred wand) of Lord Siddarameshwar, was one of the main attractions of Tuesday. Bijapur MP and the samsthe’s president Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal and former Minister Appasaheb Pattanashetti were among the dignitaries who attended the programme. Legend has it that Kumbara Gundavva, an ardent devotee of Siddarameshwar, fell in love with the latter and disclosed her desire to him. It put Siddarameshwar, a sworn bachelor, in dilemma.

A formula was worked out to find way out, according to which her marriage was solemnised with his “yogadanda”. The samsthe, as part of its policy to patronise traditional sports, will conduct competitions such as country-style wrestling, wheel-less cart pulling and grain-bags and boulders lifting.

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