Tamil Nadu CM Vijay To Offer Prayers At Kollur Mookambika Temple In Udupi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is scheduled to visit the Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple in Udupi district in Karnataka on Friday.

The Chief Minister will arrive via a special flight at the Mangaluru International Airport at 12:30 PM, proceeding to Kollur by road. He is expected to offer special prayers at the shrine at 3:00 PM.

Given Vijay's Z-plus security status, extensive security arrangements are underway. "The Udupi District Police is managing the entire bandobast," Deccan Chroncile quoted Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar as saying. "A close protection group of around 40 personnel, including a DIG and an SP from the Tamil Nadu Police, will coordinate the security planning." Massive fan gatherings are anticipated along the travel route, prompting the Tamil Nadu CID Security Division to request strict traffic and crowd management from Karnataka authorities.

Impact on Devotees

To accommodate the VVIP visit, the temple's afternoon closure timings have been adjusted from the usual 1:30 PM-3:30 PM slot to 2:00 PM-4:00 PM. Officials clarified that public darshan hours remain undiminished, though brief delays may occur due to security protocols. Devotees have been advised to plan their visits around these timings.

It has to be noted that Vijay had visited Shirdi Sai Baba temple before the results and offered prayers at churches, and temples.

A Longstanding Tradition

Vijay follows a storied tradition of Tamil Nadu leaders seeking blessings at Kollur. Legendary actor-politicians M.G. Ramachandran (who famously gifted a golden sword to the deity), Janaki Ramachandran, and J. Jayalalithaa all visited the shrine after taking office. More recently, Durga Stalin, wife of former CM M.K. Stalin, offered prayers in 2025.

However, her visit had become a matter of trolling on social media as the right-wing sympathisers had cited her son and former minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's anti-Sanatan Dharma comments.