A huge weighing scale has been installed at the Nehru Stadium in Hubballi for a jumbo tulabhara scheduled on February 1 during which 60-year-old elephant called Champika and Fakira Siddarama Swami of Shirahatti will be weighed in coins.
Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Monday, Fakira Dingaleshwara Swami of Shirahatti said that the jumbo tulabhara has been organised to mark the culmination of the Bhavaikyata Rathayatra in Hubballi being held as part of the year-long 75th birthday celebrations of Fakira Siddarama Swami of Shirahatti.
The swami said that Champika has been serving the Bhavaikyata Sansthan Peetha of Shirahatti for long and on February 1, the tulabhara of the elephant along with that of Fakira Siddarama Swami will be held with 5,555 kg of 10 rupee coins.
“The amount thus collected will go into the corpus fund that the mutt intends to mobilise for the education of poor children,” he said.
Sri Fakira Dingaleshwara Swami said that the jumbo tulabhara will be preceded by a procession of the idol of Fakira Siddarama Swami in a howdah from Moorusavir Mutt premises to Nehru Stadium.
“Champika will lead the procession comprising four other elephants, five horses and two camels. Ministers Santosh Lad, H.K. Patil, Eshwar Khandre, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar and a host of religious heads will be part of the event,” he said.
The swami said that mass feeding of around one lakh people will be organised on February 1. The expenses are being borne by devotees belonging to both Hindu and Muslim faiths.
75 books
He said that during the year-long celebrations planned, they will be releasing 75 books on varied subjects and conduct mass marriage of over 75 couples.
“The plan is to conclude the 75th birthday celebrations with a discourse spanning over 75 days and tulabhara of Fakira Siddarama Swami in 63 kg of gold,” he said.
Trial
On Monday, a trial of the jumbo tulabhara was organised by weighing the elephant on the huge scale with six tonnes of steel.
