With the rise in Covid cases, the district administration has decided to celebrate the Vairamudi festival in a simple manner, at Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple, at Melkote, Mandya district.
The festival will be held on March 14, and the procession idol would be adorned with a diamond-studded crown and taken on a procession.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner S Aswathi, on Monday. The religious rituals as part of the festival is scheduled to begin from March 19 and will be held up to March 31.
As lakhs of people from the state and other states are expected to visit the temple during the Vairamudi Jatra festival, the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to prevent any spread of Covid second wave.
As per the guidelines issued by the government on March 12, it has become inevitable to celebrate the festival in a simple manner, Aswathi said.
It may be mentioned that the festival last year was also cancelled due to Covid.