Mysore, Dec. 26- A sea of devotees — both from across the country and abroad — witnessed the consecration of the 70ft. tall monolith of Lord Sri Karyasiddhi Hanuman at Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashram, Ooty Road in city this morning.

The consecration pujas were performed to the deity by Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji along with Junior Seer of the Ashram Sri Datta Vijayananda Theertha Swamiji and a few priests atop a crane.

A subtle fragrance of devotion wafted across the Ashram as early as 4 am when the consecration ceremony began with special pujas and homas.

The traditional rituals including Pratishta Homa, Yantra Pratishta, installation of Sindhoora Hanuman, Brahma Kalasha Abhishekam for Sri Karyasiddhi Hanuman and others formed a precursor to the main consecration ceremony. The Moola Murthy of Ha-numan is at the temple on which the Hanuman monolith stands. The statue is 41 feet in height while its pedestal is 29 feet.

MP H. Vishwanath, Sri Rama Sene Founder Pramod Muthalik, senior IAS Officer Ajay Mishra, former Mayor Narayana and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony, apart from top officials from Andhra Pradesh.

Hundreds of devotees from Andhra and Tamil Nadu arrived in city yesterday to be a part of the historic ceremony. Many foreigners, who were devotees of the Ashram, could be seen meditating, caught in the wave of devotion as the consecration began. Traffic was streamlined efficiently on Ooty Road by the Police who also provided tight security for the occasion.

The rituals concluded with the Dharma Darshanam and distribution of Mahaprasada at 1.30 pm.

In the evening, Sri Ganapati Swamiji will conduct Dhwaja Puja and also present Divya Nama Sankeerthana at 6 pm.

The celebrations will go on at the Ashram upto Jan. 1 with special pujas, homas, religious conventions throughout the day and cultural programmes in the evening.

Sri Dattatreya Jayanti will also be celebrated at the Ashram on Dec. 28.

Courtesy : Star Of Mysore