Organizing a week-long annual fair is not a big affair for the JSS mutt, which runs more than 300 educational institutions including medical and engineering colleges in and outside India. But Suttur fair, unlike fairs organised by several other mutts, is not an exclusively religious affair. Here, it is an admixture of religious, social and science related events.

While rathotsava (car festival), religious sermons and devotional discourses form religious part of the occasion, cultural activities, sports, science exhibition and agricultural shows are the other main attractions. The role of the mutt authorities in maintaining hygiene and cleanliness at the fair, visited by more than a lakh and half people on each day at the six-day event, is highly commendable.

The annual fair began formally on Sunday with inauguration of a ten-bed sophisticated dental and maternity hospital, dedicated by the mutt solely to people of villages surrounding Suttur, and an agricultural exhibition. Free mass marriage ceremony and gifting of a silver chariot to the mutt by the devotees are the main programmes on Monday. While Siddaganga seer Sri Shivakumar swamiji inaugurates the celebrations, chief minister Yeddyurappa will attend the mass marriage function.

Suttur mutt, known for mass feeding of the people has made elaborate arrangements to feed visitors. Mutt has stocked more than 1000 quintals of rice, 500 quintals of jiggery, 200 quintals of sugar, 1000 tins of cooking oil and 100 quintals of tur dal, in addition to 100 quintals of onions, garlics, potato and tomatoes. Mutt has employed 300 cooks for the occasion, who will be assisted by 500 volunteers in serving the food, a mutt spokesman said, adding that arrangements have been made to supply filtered water to all devotees along with the VIPs.