The 10-day celebrations began last Saturday with the traditional flag hoisting and ended in a grand procession.
The dignitaries who visited the basilica included Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj, Archbishop of Bangalore Diocese Bernard Moras, former MP H.T. Sangliana, Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari and MLA Roshan Baig.
Devotees — cutting across caste and creed— congregated on the basilica, some even coming from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Later in the evening, the splendidly decorated chariot with the image of Mother Mary was taken in a procession through Meenakshi Koil Street, Shivaji Circle, Shivaji Road, Broadway Road, Father Noronha Road, Russell Market and back to the basilica. Tens of thousands followed the flower-bedecked chariot, many holding images of Mother Mary.
In view of the annual feast the city traffic police had imposed several restrictions on vehicular movement in and around Shivajinagar. Since the Shivajinagar bus terminus was closed, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation stopped its buses near Queen’s Road.
Taking an advantage of this, autorickshaw drivers had a field day scalping hapless commuters, particularly those bound for J.C. Nagar, R.T. Nagar, Hebbal, Tannery Road, Nagawara, Banasawadi, Lingarajapuram and Ramamurthy Nagar. The eastern parts of the city witnessed one of the worst ever traffic jams on Tuesday. With the ban on vehicular movement on several roads near Shivajinagar and surrounding areas, traffic piled up on Cunningham Road, Cubbon Road, M.G. Road, Infantry Road, leading to massive gridlocks.
Some 300 beggars homed in on the basilica begging and badgering devotees for money. The Shivaji Nagar police, following complaints from the public, dispersed them. However, they shifted their operations to the surroundings of the Shivajinagar bus terminus.
