Hassan’s famous Hasanamba Temple saw a huge rush of devotees on Sunday as people from different parts of Karnataka arrived here to seek blessings of Goddess Hasanamba during the annual temple opening.
Sunday holiday saw a large number of visitors at the temple and crowds gathered at all entry points. Long queues were seen at the Dharma Darshan free queue and special darshan queues for ticket prices of ₹1000 and ₹300.
Thousands of devotees arrived throughout the day, so the temple premises and surrounding areas got crowded. Police were deployed to control rush and avoid stampedes or other untoward incidents. Security arrangements were strengthened to regulate the movement of devotees, and people could enter and exit the temple safely.
Women Devotees Wait for Hours in Long Queues
A large number of women devotees were waiting in the Dharma Darshan queue. As waiting time increased, several women were sitting on the ground while waiting for their turn to enter the temple.
The long wait has reportedly inconvenienced elderly devotees, women, and families travelling with children. Devotees waited patiently for an opportunity to have darshan of the goddess despite delays.
The crowd made it difficult for people who had done their darshan and were trying to leave the temple. People kept coming in and out of the temple continuously, so controlling the movement of devotees became a major problem for the authorities.
Thousands Gather at Hassan Bus Stand
The rush wasn’t just at the temple. The Hassan bus stand was also crowded with passengers — mostly women devotees waiting to return to their homes.
Thousands of women were seen waiting at the bus stand. Many could not find buses because of heavy passenger traffic. Buses were not available, and demand suddenly increased after the temple visit made it worse for visitors.
Transport department officials used public-address systems to announce what they were doing and asked passengers not to push or create congestion when boarding buses. They asked devotees to be disciplined and follow instructions so that there was no overcrowding and safety risks.
Authorities Face Crowd Management Challenge
The large turnout on Sunday has been a challenge for both police and transport departments as police are managing queues and crowd control near the temple while transport officials are trying to regulate passenger movement at the bus stand.
This is an example of how difficult it is to control crowds during the Hasanamba Temple festival (particularly on weekends and public holidays). Devotees travelling to Hassan should plan their journey carefully, listen to official announcements and cooperate with authorities.
Hasanamba Temple is open annually to lakhs of devotees. Crowd management, transportation and public safety are therefore important parts of the festival.
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