Hundreds of devotees visited the Deviramma Betta to get a darshana of the presiding deity on the day of Naraka Chaturdashi on Sunday.
The devotees offered abhisheka and other rituals to the deity and offered clothes, oil, ghee.
Normally, the devotees start climbing the hill, situated abut 3,000 feet above the sea level, on the day prior to Naraka Chaturdashi. Following heavy rain and threat of landslides, the district administration had prohibited people from climbing the hill. Permission was given to climb the hill only from 4 am on Sunday.
The Deepotsava was held in the evening.
The number of devotees too had declined this year due to the rain. People came from Bengaluru, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Chamarajnagar, Mandya, Chitradurga, Davangere, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Many people were seen clicking selfies en route.
On account of the Deepotsava, KSRTC had deployed additional buses from Kadur, Tarikere Birur and Chikkamagaluru to Mallenahalli.
As a precautionary measure, the district administration also prohibited the sale of liquor within 10-km radius of Mallenahalli.
District In-charge Minister C T Ravi too climbed the hill to get a darshana.