Colourful start: (left) The idol of Goddess Sharada being installed at the Kudroli Sri Gokarnanatha temple, as part of Dasara celebrations, in Mangaluru on Thursday; a group performing a tiger dance on the occasion. more-in Navaratri, the nine-day festival worshipping Goddess Shakti, began on a colourful note in Dakshina Kannada on Thursday, with the highlight being the inauguration of Mangaluru Dasara, promoted by the Kudroli Gokarnatha Temple. City Police Commissioner T.R. Suresh inaugurated the Dasara celebrations on the temple premises in the presence of Mayor Kavitha Sanil, temple trustees and others. Saying that Navaratri is celebrated in a grand manner across the district, Mr. Suresh wished prosperity to all. The police have made elaborate arrangements for a smooth festive season. Mangaluru Dasara begins at Kudroli with the installation of Goddess Sharada and Nava Durges inside the choultry adjoining the Gokarnanatha Temple. Ms. Sanil said it is only at Kudroli that Nava Durges are installed and people from across the country participate in the celebrations. Meanwhile, the Navaratri celebrations began at the historic Mangaladevi Temple in the city with hundreds of devotees thronging it. Various religious and cultural programmes are lined up to mark the festivities , which will be followed by a grand procession on September 30. Exhibition starts Nammavaru, an association of people from the Old Mysore region settled in Mangaluru, added colour to the celebrations with its annual Dasara Gombe exhibition at Sharavu Temple. This year’s theme is the Udupi Sri Krishna Temple. Elsewhere in the city, Navaratri celebrations began at Bolar Mari Gudi, Urva Mari Gudi and other temples. The Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple at Kateel, about 27 km from Mangaluru, was decked up for the celebrations even as thousands of devotees arrived to worship the idol. Though Sri Rajarajeshwari Temple at Polali, another prominent Shakti temple in the district, is undergoing renovation, devotees arrived in huge numbers there as well.

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