Udupi: Sea of Devotees Gather at Malpe Beach on 'Yellamavasya'
Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (DV)
Udupi, Jan 11: Devotees flocked to Malpe beach in thousands on Friday January 11 to take sacred dip and offer prayers on the occasion of 'Yellamavasya'.
'Yellamavasya' falls on the new moon day of the Margashira month as per the Hindu calendar. People flock to the nearest sea or sacred rivers to take a holy dip on this day. It is an important festival especially for farmers in the northern part of the state.
The devotees gathered at Malpe beach at 5 am for the holy bath in the Arabian sea, after which they sought divine blessings at Balaram Temple in Pada Pandeshwar and turned the 'Sakshi Kallu' as per tradition.
On the occasion, the devotees remembered their forefathers during the rituals at the beach.
Heavy police security was in place to ensure smooth flow and prevent any untoward incident. Services buses were arranged to ferry the devotees.