Mangaluru: Major roads in Karkala town are set to undergo repairs ahead of next year’s Mahamastakabhisheka of Bhagavan Shri Bahubali Swami, with Rs 4.5 crore allocated for road works.Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar told TOI the tendering process had been completed and work was expected to begin next week. Work would be completed by next month. The delay was due to the contractor’s bitumen plant being non-operational, he said.The MLA said the chief minister had agreed to his request for additional funds for connecting roads and tourism-related works ahead of the Mahamastakabhisheka, with the process under way. He alleged that only around Rs 35 crore had been released over the past four years for various development works and that the municipality had received no additional funds.Former municipal council member Prakash Rao said several roads were damaged following Jal Jeevan Mission pipeline work recently. The Karkala town-Udupi road via the taluk office junction, Ananthashayana-Tellar road, roads in Banglegudde and the Udupi stretch up to Ambedkar statue are the worst affected stretches.Karkala MahamastakabhishekaPreparations for the 10-day Bahubali Mahamastakabhisheka, scheduled for Feb 2027, have begun. Pushparaj Jain, the general secretary of Karkala Bhagavan Sri Bahubali Swami Mahamastakabhisheka Committee, said the panel expects nearly four times the number of visitors from the previous event held 12 years ago.Mahamastakabhisheka rituals will be held in the presence of Yugalacharya 108 Amoghakeerthi, 108 Amarakeerthi Muni Maharaj and under the guidance of Swasthisri Lalithakeerthi Bhattaraka Pattacharyavarya Mahaswami of the Shri Digambar Jain Mutt, Karkala.The Attalige muhurta, marking the beginning of preparations, was held on Nov 1. The entire Karkala town will be illuminated with decorative lights.Around 12 parking locations have been identified. The committee is also coordinating with the govt and municipality through the MLA to ensure adequate drinking water, sanitation and other facilities for visitors.Jain said the preparations were being coordinated under the guidance of Dharmasthala Dharmadikari D Veerendra Heggade as president and chairperson SCDCC Bank MN Rajendra Kumar as the working president of the committee.Around 650 members have been divided into 38 committees to oversee different aspects of the event. The committee will oversee religious ceremonies, puja and distribution of passes, while a separate govt committee headed by the deputy commissioner will coordinate infrastructure, security, protocol and other official arrangements, Jain added.
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