Huge number of devotees to Hasanamba festival: Hassan SP writes to DC, warns of stampedes if failed to restrict visitors

Hassan SP Mohammed Sujeetha has written to Deputy Commissioner K.S. Lathakumari for measures to bring down the number of people visiting the Hasanamba Temple in Hassan, cautioning that an increasing number of devotees could lead to a stampede.

In her letter, dated October 17, the SP said a large number of people had been visiting the temple for the deity’s darshana. Even the queues meant for those who purchased tickets worth ₹1,000 and ₹300 had been several kilometres long.

“In the coming days, the number of devotees visiting the temple may go up due to festival vacations. Hassan is a small city, and the place around the temple is congested. If the people continue to visit in the same number, the situation may get out of control, leading to stampedes and untoward incidents. In view of maintaining law and order, the number of KSRTC buses bringing devotees from other districts should be restricted,” she said in her letter.

Further, she added that the police department would not be responsible if the situation led to a stampede in the absence of any measure to impose restrictions on the number of devotees visiting.

The temple was opened to devotees on October 10. Since then, lakhs of people have been visiting the temple every day. KSRTC has introduced special buses to meet the demand. The devotees have been waiting for several hours to have glimpses of the deity.

In the 24 hours before Saturday (October 18, 2025) morning, more than 3.7 lakh people visited the temple. Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda, who is also Minister in-charge of Hassan district, is engaged in handling the crowd with senior officers. The temple will be closed on October 23.