Mangalore: Congress President Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the centenary celebrations of Kudroli Shree Gokarnanatha Temple and also the Mangalore Dasara 2012 at a colourful function held at the temple premises on October 18, Thursday.
Earlier, Sonia who arrived at the temple was accorded a cordial welcome by former union minister B Janardhan Poojari and other members of the temple committee.
A special pooja was also offered at the temple and Sonia was presented a shawl. Sonia also appreciated the wonderful Dasara celebrations with the idol of Goddess Sharada and Navadurgis.
Speaking at a formal function held at the Santoshi Kalyana Mantap of the Temple, Sonia delved on the life of the great saint reformer Sri Narayana Guru and said it was high time the society tried its level best to emulate the ideals advocated by Sri Narayana guru and the causes he championed. She also said it was a memorable moment for her to visit the temple to inaugurate its centenary, more so because the renovated kshetra was inaugurated by her late husband, the former prime minister Rajeev Gandhi.
B Janardhan Poojari who also spoke hailed the contributions of the Gandhi family to the nation and recollected the words of late prime minister Rajeev Gandhi during the reconsecration of the renovated shrine that ‘Bhakti is the soul of India.’
AICC General Secretary Oscar Fernandes, Jaya C Suvarna, President of Rashtriya Billawa Mahamandala, G Parameshwar, KPCC President, JP Narayana Swami, President, Arya Ediga Sangha, Urmila Ramsh Kumar, Co-President, Kudroli Temple Development Committee, KP Nanjundi, President of Akhila Karnataka Vishwakarma Mahasabha, Sairam, President of Kudroli Temple Management Committee, were on the dais.
Devendra Poojary, Renovation Committee member, proposed the vote of thanks.