People buy vegetables and groundnuts ahead of the Makar Sankranti festival, at a wholesale market in Bengaluru.
Credits: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: Makara Sankranti, the transition of the Sun from Dhanu Rashi (Sagittarius) to Makara Rashi (Capricorn), is being celebrated with great religious fervour across the state on Monday.
Devotees thronged temples offering special prayers.
In keeping with tradition, people exchanged sweets made of sesame seeds and jaggery.
At Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple in Bengaluru, devotees stood in a long queue at the cave temple to see the sunlight directly falling on the Shivalinga.
The Kadu Malleswara temple at Malleswaram in Bengaluru too saw the huge turnout of devotees offering special prayers with 'Bilva Patra' from the morning.
At Kapileshwara temple in Belagavi, which is considered as Dakshina Kashi, special prayers were performed.
At Nanjangud in Mysuru, special rituals took place at Nanjundeshwara temple. The temple saw people from various parts of the state visiting to offer their obeisance.
Sringeri, one of the four important Peetas of the country established by Adiguru Shankaracharya himself, wore a festive look from the morning.
Elaborate poojas were performed at Vidyashankara Temple in this religious town in Chikkamagaluru district.
There was a great rush of devotees at Murudeshwara temple in Uttara Kannada district. The temple is famous for its tall and attractive gopuram (tower) and the iconic Shiva statue overseeing the Arabian Sea.
People took a holy dip in the rivers such as Cauvery, Krishna and Tunga on the auspicious occasion.