As the Nandini chokes, an 800‑year‑old Kandevu Jatre ritual struggles to survive in Dakshina Kannada

Mangaluru: Only 10–15 people stepped into the Nandini river this year for the fishing ritual of the Kandevu Jatre at Khandige — a stark contrast to the thousands who once gathered for what is believed to be an 800‑year‑old tradition.

Held during Vrishabha Sankramana in mid‑May, the annual fishing festival of Sri Kshetra Khandige Dharmarasu Sri Ullaya Daivasthana was once a major cultural event, drawing nearly 5,000 devotees from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod districts.

Locals say the steady decline mirrors the worsening condition of the Nandini River. Originating in Mijar and flowing into the Arabian Sea near Sasihithlu, a tributary of the river bends towards Khandige village in Cheliyaru.

The festival is marked by a strict one‑month ban on fishing in a designated stretch of the river. As part of the ritual, villagers place temple prasada in the water a month in advance. On the festival day, the fish caught are cooked and offered to elders as prasada.

Sukesh Shetty, from the samiti, blamed the sewage treatment plant (STP) of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) for the river’s decline. As the city grew, the plant was unable to handle the increasing volume of sewage, resulting in untreated water being released into the river through rajakaluves, he alleged.

The river’s condition has deteriorated sharply due to contamination and extensive water hyacinth growth, Sukesh told TOI. Only a few species, such as catfish, now survive in the water body, while many others have died. Earlier, 50–60 species lived here, he added.

Fearing that the ritual may soon survive only in memory, Sukesh said the samiti plans to approach the Karnataka High Court.

Diwakar Samani, former vice‑president of the temple administration committee and a member of the samiti, said the festival has been celebrated since their ancestors’ time without caste or religious discrimination. “Thousands used to gather here every year. Now the tradition itself is under threat,” he said.

Samani said the water is so polluted that it cannot be used for irrigation, and even animals cannot drink it.

Sukesh said that despite repeated complaints, there has been no meaningful action.

It may be recalled that the Karnataka Upa Lokayukta last year made severe observations against several govt authorities for failing to act on major environmental violations involving pollution of a water body and a tributary of the Nandini river within Mangaluru City Corporation limits.