Dharmasthala: The dastardly attack on CRPF jawans at Pulwama found an echo in the land of sacrifice and peace.Sending out a message to the perpetrators of the attack was symbolic yet pertinent use of saffron grown in the very land where these 44 jawans returning to duty after spending time with their loved ones met a ghastly end. Making this happen was Tumakuru-based devotee Shreyans Kumar who provided pure saffron grown in Kashmir.Making a special mention of the same, D Veerendra Heggade, dharmadhikari, Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala , said India despite the various strides in development over the past 70 years has endured some troubling times in the recent past, be it the nature’s fury that brought God’s Own Country to its knees last monsoon or the Valentine’s Day attack on CRPF at Pulwama. “Let this message of peace pervade across the land from Ratnagiri ,” Heggade said.The mahamastakabhisheka saw Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd distribute 5,000 litres buttermilk free to devotees quench their thirst. Parshwanath, a devotee from Chamarajanagar supplied ‘ashtagandha’ made from natural vanaspathi sourced from the wild. The shravaka-shravakis helped grind the sandalwood to form paste that was used for the anointment rituals. More than 10,000 devotees witnessed rituals on Day One.For the anointment on Saturday, the organisers used 200 litres of sugarcane juice, 75kg of kalkachoorna, 100kg of turmeric, 75kg of sandal and 75kg of ‘ashtagandha’. The rituals will continue on Sunday and Monday as well when 1008 kalashas will be offered in anointment to Lord Bahubali. Sitar recital by Kochikar Devadas Pai of Mangaluru and Jain music and bhajan by Kuber Chougule from Kolhapur kept the devotees entertained.After the 3-day rituals end on Monday, the mahamastakabhisheka will continue on specified dates, according to the organisers. Accordingly, Karnataka Jain Charitable Trust will perform the anointment rituals on February 19. Kankagiri Jain Mutt will follow suit on March 8, Arhanthagiri Jain Mutt on March 10, Bengaluru Jain Mahila Okkoota on March 16 and Moodbidri Jain Samaj on March 17 and all arrangements are in place for the same.‘Saddharma Paripalakaru’ title conferred on HeggadeSri Charukeerthi Bhattaraka swamiji of Sri Kshetra Shravanabelagola on Saturday conferred the ‘Saddharma Paripalakaru’ on D Veerendra Heggade, dharmadhikari, Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala. The title was conferred on behalf of all bhattarakas of the various Jain mutts dotting India. A citation chronicling Heggade’s contribution to religion, society, education and for the masses was read out and presented to him on this occasion.

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