Mangaluru: Mass cow worship, traditional rituals and a group yoga session marked Diwali celebrations organised by the Sri Patanjali Yoga Shikshana Samiti (SPYSS), Karnataka, at Oddoor Farms Goshala in Ganjimatha, near Polali, on November 10.
The programme, held between 4.45am and 7am, was inaugurated with a ceremonial lamp-lighting by SPYSS coordinators and priest Deepak Sharma. Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik Ulipadiguthu attended the event.
The celebrations featured devotional songs, inspirational readings, a traditional almanac reading and yoga demonstrations. Instructors Manoj, Bharat, Nayana Kukkatte, Jyothi Pradeep Addoor and Prashanth Kukkatte led participants through Ganapati Namaskara and Vishnu Namaskara.
Teacher Vidya Shivaprasad Polali spoke about the cultural significance of Go Puja during Diwali and the importance of cow conservation for society and the environment.
Following Lakshmi Puja and Kalasha Puja, participants performed Go Puja with the support of Durgaprasad and Smitha Kadegundya. Vishwakarma Sitarama Acharya conducted ear-piercing and nose-piercing ceremonies, while Bhoj and Sujatha Addoor performed the Agnihotra ritual.
Around 250 yoga practitioners from branches across the region participated. Members from Polali, Kaikamba, Matti, Kukkatte, Kadegundya, Siddakatte and several other centres attended. Yashwanti Benjanapadavu delivered the vote of thanks, while Sandhya Addoor compered the programme.