Ujire: Safeguarding health and culture will help in building a healthy society, Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade has said.

Addressing thousands of devotees who had assembled at Dharmasthala on the first day of Lakshadeepotsava on Thursday, Heggade said that daily walk helps strengthening immune system.

Model taluk
He said that a number of programmes had been chalked out to develop Belthangady as a model taluk.

Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat president Meenakshi Shanthigodu, who inaugurated the state-level exhibition on the occasion, lauded the contribution of the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala for nourishing art, literature and culture. She said Dharmadhikari had been instrumental in providing guidance and inspiration to people of the district. The expo has 198 stalls and would be open from 9 am to 9 pm for the next seven days. There is no entry fee to the expo.

As part of Lakshadeepotsava, cultural programmes will be held every evening. ‘ Utsav was held on Thursday night.