Vishwa Hindu Parishat national vice-president Gopal Hegde inaugurated Vijayadasami and Ayudha Puja celebrations at the RSS office in Belagavi on Wednesday.
He addressed youth in the office grounds after the puja. He asked them to fight in unison against divisive forces. He gave a call for fighting prejudice and hate in society. He called for amicable relations between various communities.
Mr. Hegde gave details of the progress made in the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He said that the grand stone temple coming up in Ayodhya will soon be ready.
Earlier, the local RSS unit issued an appeal through pamphlets and social media, inviting the youth to bring along weapons and tools from their homes, to the common puja.
By evening, palanquins and horses from Venkatramana Temple, Maruti Temple, Jotiba Temple and others were taken for the Seemollanghana ritual at the Vidya Niketan Grounds in the Military Camp. Young people climbed the Banni tree and plucked leaves. They exchanged the leaves with one another, as a mark of friendship and goodwill.
Dasara was celebrated in the Military Camp and in Shahapur. Chariots carrying idols of Mariyamma and Muttu Mariyamma Devis were taken out in a procession. Some people rode horses from the old city to the Seemollanghana venue.
The annual car festivals of the Venkateshwara Temple at Vitthaldev Galli and Basavanna Deva Galli were celebrated. Members of the Naik family in Shahapur said that the Dasara festival was patronised by the Adilshahi sultans of Vijayapura.
