Navaratri festivities began grandly in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Sunday

The Navaratri celebrations got underway on Sunday, October 15, in a big way in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts with several Durgaparameshwari temples decorated. Author Panja Bhaskar Bhat officially opened the festivities at the historic Mangaladevi temple in Mangaluru early in the morning. The festival's presiding deity, Durga Devi, Arya Devi, Bhagavati, Ambike, Mahishamardhini, Chandike, Kumari, Vagishwari, Saraswati, and Mangaladevi, would be seen on each of the ten days of the celebration in various decorations.

The Mangaladevi temple conducts several ceremonies, one of which is the initiation of children into education on Vijayadashami Day, which falls on October 24. A considerable number of youngsters participate in this ceremony. On October 24, the evening of Rathotsava marks the end of the celebrations. For the first time, the temple held an auction for all 82 of the new booths on its Car Street, raising around ₹10 lakh in revenue. 

The 10-day Mangaluru Dasara officially started at the Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara temple with the consecration of sculptures of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Sharada, and nine forms of Goddess Durga. There are several scheduled rites and cultural events. This year's new event was a nearly two-hour "Dasara Night run," which started at the temple and covered the city's principal routes on Sunday night.

On October 24, the Kudroli temple dasara will host the "Shobha Yatra," during which sculptures of Navadurgas, Sharada, and Ganesha will be removed and submerged in the temple pond. Tableaux of "Daivaradhane" and "Nasik band" troupes are not permitted to participate in the yatra, according to the temple.

The temples of Kateel Durgaparameshwari, Polali Rajarajeshwari, Bappanadu Durgaparmeshwari, Boloor Mariyamma, Bolar Halekote Mariyamma, Urwa Marigudi, and Kudroli Bhagawati also officially opened for festivities. From October 18 to October 25, the Venkataramana Temple and Acharya Mutt in Mangaluru's Car Street will jointly host Sharada Mahotsava. On October 25, the Mahotsava's "Shobha Yatra" will take place.

The Mangaluru City Corporation is investing ₹1.39 crore to light up the city's main thoroughfares as well as the routes that lead to the temples that host the Navaratri celebrations. Several temples in the Udupi district have been decorated for the festival, including the Mahatobhara Mahishamardhini Temples at Neelavara and Kadiyali, Kolluru Mookambika. Every day, the temples will host "Durga Homa," and on October 24, the Neelavara temple will host "Sarvajanika Deepa Namaskara."

Similarly, on October 17, there will be a mass meal and "Chandika Yaga Poornahuti" at the Hosa Marigudi temple in Kaup. Both the Kadiyali Mahishamardhini temple in Udupi and the Mookambika temple in Kollur are hosting a number of rites.

The placement of Goddess Sharada and Navadurga statues at the Mahalakshmi Temple in Uchchila, which is accessible from National Highway 66, marked the beginning of the "Uchchila Dasara." The festival's Yuva Dasara, which features several cultural events, was also formally launched. There is lighting on the roads leading from Padubidri to Kaup Light House. On October 24, a 10-kilometer "Shobha Yatra" will take place prior to the idols of Sharada and Navadurga being submerged close to the Kaup Lighthouse.