Temple to promote use of organic, ayurvedic plants during festival

Mangaluru: During the seventh annual Ekadashi festival at the Dongerkery Venkataramana Temple, the management committee has taken initiatives to promote the use of organic and ayurvedic plants among devotees.
To spark interest among people in using organic and ayurvedic plants, the temple premises were specially decorated with organic plants this time. Similarly, the temple administration decided to offer plants as prasad to devotees. The decorations included spinach, amaranth, red basil, and green basil plants, which were cultivated by organic farmer Suraj Rao. Over 10,000 plants were cultivated using organic methods, and 8,000 tulsi plants were grown to distribute to devotees, said the temple's managing trustee, Praveen Nagvekar Bolar.
He told reporters that Vaikunta Ekadashi will be celebrated in a grand manner at the Dongerkery Venkataramana temple on Friday.
"The saplings of various vegetables grown using organic methods will be distributed to devotees as prasad. The move is aimed at promoting organic farming among devotees," he said.
"The Ekadashi event here will be conducted as per divine guidance, and as always, will be celebrated with grandeur. On that day, for the welfare of the world, a chanting ceremony of the Namatraya Mahamantra japayajna, pushpayaga, a flower offering, and an ashtavadhana service will be organised. A special flower procession as part of the pushpayaga will take place from the Dongerkery temple at 4pm," he informed.
Ganesh Nagvekar Bolara, in charge of the festival, stated that there will be a mass Vishnu Sahasranama recitation programme on that day from 7am to 8am. Further, there will be a grand worship at noon, followed by a bhajan programme, and after the deeparadhane at 9pm, prasad distribution will occur at 10pm, he added.