Datta Jayanti concludes peacefully

CHIKMAGALUR: Curtains fell on the three-day Datta Jayanti Mahotsav with thousands of devotees from all over the state thronging the mythological Dattatreya Kshetra atop the Bababuden Giri (hill) on Saturday.Though there appeared a lack of enthusiasm among the locals, devotees from other parts of the state increased manifold, which was estimate at around 8,000, more than the previous year’s count. Devotees who arrived in a convoy  of vehicles stopped at Honnammanahalla to take a holy dip in the stream before reaching the Datta Peeta to offer Irumudi and have darshan of Datta Padukas kept inside the cave shrine.Datta Bhaktas were allowed into the cave shrine in a queue and have a darshan of Datta Padukas shifted temporarily for the occasion from the district treasury  after the cave collapsed three years ago.Five districtBJP MLAS — D N Jeevaraj, C T Ravi, M P Kumara Swamy, D S Suresh and Y C Vishwanath — participated in the rituals.