Sri Vithappa Fair / Jathre

The Sri Vithappa fair is a prominent event conducted in the village of Vithappa in honour of the Vithappa god. The first fair was hosted 200 years ago, and since then it has remained a yearly tradition, taking place in September or October, or on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Ashwija month. Over the years, the number of worshippers has increased massively. During the celebration, the Lord’s tableau, dressed with cloth, banana leaves, and flowers, is paraded around the village streets. This march is accompanied by a group of 60 drummers drawn from around the state. The fair is associated with several rites. Some devotees believe that carrying milk as a tribute to the deity causes it to spontaneously change into curd. Another feature of the fair is a person from Chunchanoor village collecting grains from a bag stored in the temple throughout the fair. It is thought that sowing these grains into farmland would result in a high harvest that year.