Basava Jayanti, which is a major religious event and celebrated with grandeur every year, remained a low-key affair due to lockdown here on Sunday.

Unlike in the previous years, the district administration and other organisations celebrated the event in a simple manner.

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Minister in-charge of the district Jagadish Shettar, MLAs Arvind Bellad, Amrut Desai, MLC Pradeep Shettar, Deputy Commissioner M. Deepa and others offered puja to Basaveshwara at a programme held at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here. Earlier, they garlanded the statue of Basaveshwara located in the Kadapa Maidan. Lockdown has also cast its shadow on the historic Kalmeshwar Jatra at Kelgeri. It has been a tradition to hold this car festival to mark Basava Jayanti. But this time, the temple authorities, following the government guidelines, held the event in a simple manner.

By following social distancing, five members of the temple pulled a chariot made of thermacol by artist Manjunath Hiremath. They also modelled a clay idol of the deity and offered puja to it. The entire process of the car festival was completed within 40 minutes between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. and the temple remained closed for the entire day to prevent large gatherings.