Belagavi Gears Up for Nine Nights of Navratri Fervour

Belagavi: Preparations are in full swing across Belagavi district for the nine-day Navratri festival beginning on October 11 with Ghatasthapana. Elaborate arrangements are underway for Durga idol installations, Dandiya and Garba events, and traditional cultural programmes across the region.
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Belagavi city alone has more than 90 Navratri mandals, with hundreds of Goddess Durga idols expected to be installed across the district. Organisers are arranging decorative lighting and advanced sound systems at venues to attract devotees and festivalgoers, particularly youngsters.

Durga Mata Daud, a procession tradition popular in Maharashtra, has also gained popularity in Belagavi over the past decade. Meanwhile, public Durga idol installations, once relatively uncommon in the region, have become a prominent feature of Navratri celebrations.

The tradition of installing public Durga idols in Belagavi was reportedly started by workers from West Bengal employed at the Hindalco factory. It gradually spread to the Camp area and other parts of the city and district.

The historic Nada Habba Utsav will also be organised during the nine-day festival, celebrating Kannada language, literature, art and heritage in the border region. First held in 1926-27, the festival is regarded as one of North Karnataka’s oldest cultural celebrations.

Idol makers across the district are working to meet the growing demand, while markets are witnessing increased sales of traditional attire, jewellery, festive costumes and decorative items.

Devotees are also expected to visit prominent Shakti centres, including Savadatti Yallamma, Kakkeri Bishtadevi and Chinchali Mayakka temples, during the festival.

Belagavi Superintendent of Police Ramarajan said the process of granting permissions for Durga Mata Daud events had begun. Special security arrangements are being made at temples that attract large numbers of women devotees.

With religious rituals, cultural programmes and festive events planned across the district, Belagavi is preparing for nine nights of devotion and celebration.

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