Hassanamba Festival generates over Rs 12 crore in revenue

The festival, which began on October 29, has been drawing huge crowds, with Friday witnessing a substantial rise in the number of devotees.

Bengaluru: The annual Hassanamba Jatra Mahotsava has turned into a major revenue-generating event, with the temple collecting over Rs 12.68 crore from special darshan tickets and laddu prasada sales within eight days of opening its doors to devotees.

The festival, which began on October 29, has been drawing huge crowds, with Friday witnessing a substantial rise in the number of devotees. Several dignitaries also visited the temple to seek the blessings of Goddess Hassanamba and Lord Siddeshwara.

As per the official statement issued by the temple administration, revenue of Rs 12,67,90,720 was recorded between October 29 and 5.30 pm on November 6.

The breakdown shows that Rs 3.95 crore was collected through the sale of Rs 300 tickets, while the Rs 1,000 special darshan tickets generated approximately Rs 7.88 crore. Laddu prasada sales contributed Rs 84.72 lakh.

The higher-priced tickets alone accounted for 65.59 per cent of the total collections, highlighting the considerable demand for special darshan among devotees.

Former chief minister Siddaramaiah was among the prominent visitors on Friday, November 6. He offered prayers at the Hassanamba Temple and the Siddeshwara Swamy shrine.

Addressing a public programme at the exhibition ground of Hassan City Corporation, Siddaramaiah praised District Minister KM Shivalingegowda for taking initiatives to celebrate the annual festival on the scale of Mysuru Dasara.

He said efforts were being made to organise the Hassanamba and Siddeshwara Jatra Mahotsava with even greater splendour.

The temple administration expects collections and visitor numbers to rise further over the coming days as more devotees are likely to arrive for the annual darshan.