The colour of St. Lawrence feast-Attur on the night of 26th January 2010

Report and Pictures by Anil Alva

Karkala, 27 January 2010: The annual feast of St. Lawrence at Attur-Karkala had already started in the morning of Tuesday, 26th January 2010. As it was a holiday due to the Republic Day celebration, there had been a steady stream of pilgrims throughout the day, offering prayers and candles for the favour received from the ‘Saint of Miracles’ or seeking more favours.

In the evening, the solemn Mass in Kannada was celebrated by Most. Rev. Dr. Derek Fernandes, the Bishop of Karwar Diocese at 6.00pm. Not only the church but the entire campus was filled with devotees of St. Lawrence and pilgrims who had come from different regions of the state. The ocean of humanity in Attur on Tuesday night was peaceful and prayerful with the police force maintaining security and discipline for the smooth movement of the pilgrims and vehicles.

 

The lighting of the church building, the archs, the pandals and the side of the hill added beauty and aura to the entire shrine area of Attur. The cool weather, clear sky with moon showering its silvery light was a delight to see and experience. The fireworks of different types zooming into the sky were witnessed by thousands of pilgrims with awe and joy. The roadside stalls with eateries and various other items were mobbed by the curious and enthusiastic pilgrims after paying visit to the shine and doing their offerings.

The experience of visiting St. Lawrence Shrine at Attur during the evening that too on Tuesday was an experience of lifetime. I have never seen such as crowd before. As a photographer it was a delight to shoot as many pictures as possible of  which at least few could be seen by our beloved Bellevision readers who are missing one of the greatest annual feasts of our land.

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