The Chikkamagaluru district administration has announced that there is a major restriction for tourists who plan to visit the city's popular hill stations during the Gowri-Ganesha festival. Tourists in the Chandradrona mountain range, like the Mullayanagiri hills, will be completely prohibited from September 14, 2026.
The one-day restriction is to ensure that the traditional religious activities of the Gowri-Ganesha festival can take place without any disturbance. Heavy traffic and travel congestion might also be expected on the festival day due to the huge number of devotees and tourists travelling to the hill stations, the administration said.
Mullayanagiri, Seethalayyanagiri, and Sri Guru Narukante Mutt are expected to witness thousands of devotees from the neighbouring villages. According to the district administration, people from more than 40 nearby villages regularly visit these religious places during the festival to perform rituals like offering fruits and coconuts and participating in the Gowri-Ganesha celebrations.
The tradition has been around for generations, and it has an important cultural and religious significance in the local communities. Devotees gather at these places for their annual celebrations, and September 14 is a very important day for the surrounding villages. The management has decided to concentrate on the smooth movement of devotees and not allow the tourist traffic to be affected so that the celebration is not affected.
The restriction is also meant to avoid severe traffic jams in the hill areas. Mullayanagiri and other popular places have relatively narrow roads, and traffic is very heavy on holidays and festivals. With thousands of devotees coming to the area, this will cause traffic to get caught up and be a big hassle both for tourists and local people.
Deputy Commissioner Bhanwar Singh Meena, Chikkamagaluru, had appealed to tourists to postpone their trip to the restricted places on September 14. Tourists who were going to visit Seethalayyanagiri, Mullayanagiri, the Inam Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah, and Manikyadhara are advised to reschedule their trips.
The restriction is temporary and only applies for one day as part of festival-related precautions. People planning to visit Chikkamagaluru's famous hill places should therefore refer to the latest travel advisories from the district administration for advice in advance of their trip.
Chikkamagaluru is one of Karnataka’s most popular tourist spots, and many people come to Chikkamagaluru throughout the year, with coffee plantations, mist-covered mountains, waterfalls, and beautiful hill stations to visit. Mullayanagiri, the highest peak in Karnataka, is one of the most popular tourist spots. Other tourist spots in the Bababudangiri range, such as Manikyadhara and Seethalayyanagiri, also attract a lot of tourists, particularly during weekends, holidays, and festival seasons.
The September 14 restriction is primarily to avoid a clash between tourist traffic and the movement of devotees attending traditional celebrations. By temporarily restricting tourist access, authorities would like to give devotees the chance to visit the religious sites without major traffic headaches and also to ease the load on the hill roads.
We recommend visitors who already have plans for a Chikkamagaluru trip for the festival to change their itineraries. Mullayanagiri, Seethalayyanagiri, Inam Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah, or Manikyadhara should be visited on another day.
The district administration has made the right call to harmonise tourism with local religious traditions at the time of big festivals. They are asking the public to act in a responsible manner and to follow all traffic and travel instructions issued for that.
The Gowri-Ganesha festival is expected to bring a lot of devotees to the area, and so the temporary restriction is to guarantee a smooth and peaceful celebration and to minimise traffic-related inconvenience in the popular hill places of Chikkamagaluru.
