Visitors to Mysuru’s Chamundeshwari Temple at Chamundi Hills can receive free darshan until October 28, with the temple authority suspending paid darshan tickets priced at ₹50, ₹200 and ₹1,000 during the period.
The arrangement applies to all devotees visiting the temple, according to M.J. Roopa, secretary of the Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority. The decision changes the usual ticket-based access system for the specified period and makes general darshan available without payment.
The authority has also clarified that entry into the sanctum sanctorum will not be permitted for ordinary devotees under the temporary arrangement. Access to the inner sanctum will be limited to dignitaries and very important persons, according to the statement attributed to Roopa.
Devotees who have obtained tickets for abhisheka will also not be allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum. Instead, the prasada associated with the abhisheka will be distributed outside the inner shrine area.
The announcement therefore separates general darshan from access to the sanctum and from abhisheka-related arrangements. While the paid darshan categories have been suspended, the authority has not announced that ticket holders or abhisheka devotees will receive inner-sanctum access during the period.
For visitors, the main operational change is that payments for the three listed darshan categories will not be required until October 28. The authority’s instructions also indicate that devotees should expect prasada distribution outside the sanctum rather than entry into the inner shrine.
The decision places the temple administration’s access rules at the centre of the visitor experience during the period. It also provides a single public clarification on ticket suspension, general darshan and restrictions governing the sanctum sanctorum.
The temporary arrangement will remain in force through October 28, after which the authority’s current announcement does not specify whether the paid darshan categories will resume or whether any of the access arrangements will change.
