Madikeri:

Manikanta Mahime Mantap of the Shri Kanchi Kamakshi temple bagged the first place in the Madikeri Dasara festival.

This was announced by the Madikeri Dasara Janothsava Committee here on Thursday. The other prize winners are mantap depicting the killing of Darigasura by Saptha Mathrikas of Sri Chowdeshwari temple (2nd prize) and Ganapathi becoming Gajamukha by Shri Kote Mahaganapthi temple (3rd prize). All the mantaps took part in the Shobha Yatra held from Wednesday night to Thursday morning.

A large number of people had gathered to watch the procession. There was also a stampede in which a person was injured. Police were also forced to resort to mild lathi charge to disburse the crowd.

Presiding over the Dasara function, Kodagu district in-charge minister M P Appachu Ranjan said he had instructed the district administration to stop the implementation of high tension electric line project work in south Kodagu which would affect the ecology. On cloud seeding in Kodagu, he said that he had spoken with to the ministry concerned not to conduct cloud seeding in Kodagu as it would affect the whole plantation area.

He also announced that for the construction of a swimming pool in Madikeri, for providing turfs in Somwarpet and Kudige, and also an indoor stadium in Madikeri, a special grant of Rs13 crore has been released by the government. State film academy president Tara took part in the event.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Mangalore / TNN, October 27th, 2012