Overview
- Officials confirmed the festival schedule and that Ashada Fridays begin on July 17 with further dates set for July 24, July 31 and August 7 and the Chamundeshwari Vardhanti on August 4.
- Private vehicles will be barred from ascending Chamundi Hill on festival days with parking at designated lots and shuttle buses run by KSRTC to ferry devotees to the temple.
- KSRTC mobilised a large fleet including 50 city buses and 20 Volvo coaches with plans to requisition up to 50–100 extra buses from neighbouring districts if needed to handle heavy demand.
- The ₹300 paid darshan option has been withdrawn and replaced experimentally by a ₹2,000 special darshan package alongside free general darshan, with a control room, nodal officers and display boards set up to manage the paid queue and wait times.
- Authorities say the measures aim to speed up general darshan and prevent misuse of protocol passes; devotees will find footwear collection centres, water, toilets and rest points on route, while a small discrepancy remains in reported VIP hours (9:30 a.m. versus 10:00 a.m.).