Haveri: Shantabhishma Choudayya Swami from the Nijasharana Ambigara Choudayya Gurupeetha in Narasipura, Kancharagatti, announced that the 10th Ambigara Sharana Cultural Festival 2026 will be held on Jan 14 and 15.Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, he said Nijasharana Ambigara Choudayya’s cradle ceremony will take place at 6am on Jan 14, followed by a puja at the Choudayya Unity Hall, a blood donation camp, and a mass wedding ceremony. Later, awards will be distributed to the winners of the talent recognition and vachana recitation competition. “A Ganga Aarti will be held at 7pm, and a cultural programme in the evening,” he added.The pontiff further explained that on Jan 15, the Dharma flag hoisting ceremony will take place, followed by a Dharma Sabha. During this time, the inauguration of Ambigara Choudayya’s stone pavilion, a bronze statue, and the Maharshi Vedavyasa Kalyana Mantapa, built at a cost of Rs 5 crore, will be held. Chief minister Siddaramaiah has been invited, he said. At 11am, the 906th birth anniversary celebration of Ambigara Choudayya will take place, followed by the 10th anniversary of the Peetharohana ceremony. The Vachana Grantha Maharathotsava will be held in the evening. “This year, the state-level Ambigara Choudayya Veera Ganachari Award will be posthumously given to rebellious writer Chandranna Walikar from Kalaburagi,” the swami informed.
