MYSORE, July 13, 2013: Tens of thousands of devotees visited Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hills here and offered special prayers on the first Friday of Ashadha season.

Devotees from different parts of the state started thronging the hill shrine before the day-break on Friday and waited in serpentine queues to have darshan of the deity.

According to temple authorities, over 30,000 devotees visited the temple on the first Friday of Ashadha masa (month) and sought the goddess' blessings.

Special pujas and abhishekas were offered to Chamundeshwari during the wee hours of Friday by temple chief priest Shashishekar Dixit. Devotees were allowed to have darshan after 5am.

The sanctum sanctorum of Shakti Devathe was adorned with loads of lush pomegranate foliage lined with fruit and flowers.

Special arrangements were also made inside the temple for the distribution of laddus, and also for dasoha (mass feeding) at Dasoha Bhavan.

The district administration provided parking space for 2,500 two-wheelers and 500 four-wheelers near Lalit Mahal Hotel, from where the devotees were ferried to the temple. Hundred police personnel were deployed to man the parking lot and to manage the traffic.

"City police did a good thing by restricting the movement of private vehicles to the hills," a devotee said.

Drinking water and makeshift health centre and toilets were also provided atop the hills.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 13, 2013.