MYSURU: There is an unexpected beneficiary of the Shakti free bus travel scheme the temple hundi. The movement of women devotees has increased, and groups of women are making a beeline for temples and casting their mite into the hundis.
With more than 4 crore women availing of free bus service within 12 days of introduction of the scheme — availing of more than Rs 100 crore worth of tickets — the collection in temples is likely to swell further. The flow of devotees has doubled in Male Mahadeshwara Hills, Srikanteshwara Temple, Kukke Subramanya, Himavad Gopalaswamy Hills and other places.
Women self-help groups are going in teams to temples, and buses to MM Hills, Dharmasthala and Subramanya in southern and coastal Karnataka are running full. In MM Hills, temple authorities have recorded Rs 2.53 cr hundi collection.
MM Hills Development Authority Deputy Secretary Basavaraju said the flow of devotees, particularly women, has increased to the hill temple after the launch of Shakti. There is also a crowd at Dasoha Bhavan, that serves free prasadam. He felt the collection may go up as footfall has increased and they have also focussed on improving facilities for devotees.
Srikanteshwara Temple in Nanjangud recorded Rs1.55 crore collection, and the temple town has also received heavy flow of devotees since June 11. However, a temple priest said the rush has made many devotees and affluent sections put off their visit, hoping the crowd many thin in the next few weeks.
Other temples which have similarly benefited are Gopalaswamy Temple in Gundlupet and Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple. A few visitors also opt for a safari in Bandipur to finish off their temple visit.
Mahadev, a temple staffer, felt the crowd may recede once the monsoon sets in properly and farming activities pick up pace. Tourist flow many pick up again after the harvest and during vacations, with many planning to explore tourist spots.
Shakti has also led to a flow of devotees to Chamundi Hill on Ashada Friday, with about 40,000 women availing of free rides from Chamundi Hill and City bus stop in Mysuru alone. More than 1.8 lakh women used the service on the first Ashada alone in Mysuru district to reach the hill and other temples.
Chamundi Hills, which records the highest number of devotees on Ashada Friday, Dasara and during vacations, is getting devotees on weekdays too.