Mysore/Mysuru: On the dawn of the New Year today, Mysuru city witnessed a profound connection with spirituality as a multitude of residents and tourists flocked to various temples in and around the city, seeking divine blessings for the year ahead.

Prominent temples such as Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hill, Tripurasundari Jwalamukhi Temple at Uthanahalli, Sri Yoganarasimhaswamy Temple, Srilaksmivenkataramanaswamy Temple at Vontikoppal, Sri Chandramouleshwara Temple at Mathrumandali Circle, Bandantamma Temple in Kuvempunagar, all the temples at Mysore Palace premises including the Trineshwaraswamy Temple, witnessed queues early in the morning.

Other temples such as Srikanteshwaraswamy Temple in Nanjangud, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Nimishamba Temple at Srirangapatna and Gunjanarasimhaswamy Temple in T. Narasipura also experienced a surge in visitors, making them focal points for  New Year prayers.

The revered Sri Chamundeshwari Temple, known for religious tourism, witnessed a sea of devotees presenting their vows and paying obeisance to the presiding deity. Devotees lined up outside the temple eagerly awaiting entry and many of them had come before the break of the dawn. All the devotee queues that led to the sanctum sanctorum were jam-packed and the crowd managers had a tough time regulating the people.

Devotees expressed their common prayer for a peaceful and prosperous life in the coming year, forming serpentine queues outside the temple.

Similar scenes unfolded at other prominent temples such as 101 Ganapathi Temple at Agrahara, Sri Raghavendraswamy Temple at Jayalakshmipuram, Ganapathi Temples at Paduvarahalli, Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Ashram, Chamundeshwari Temple at Surya Bakery Circle and Annapoorneshwari Temple at Hebbal.

The roads leading to Sri Yoganarasimhaswamy Temple at Vijayanagar witnessed a substantial gathering of devotees, with two lakh specially prepared laddoos distributed to sweeten the New Year mood. Devotees braved the cold and formed serpentine queues outside the Temple from as early as 4 am. 

The Srikanteshwara Temple in Nanjangud drew over 20,000 devotees by 11 am, with authorities anticipating the crowd to reach 50,000 by evening.

Despite challenges, including slow-moving traffic, the Police worked diligently to control the crowd and ensure a peaceful and blessed beginning to  the New Year.