The three-day Made Snana ritual involving rolling over leftovers of Brahmins in a Karnataka’s Kukke Subrahmanya temple ended on Tuesday, having seen the participation of around 2,200 devotees. The annual ritual was performed in accordance with tradition this year following a Supreme Court stay on a Karnataka hc order allowing a modified version, where devotees would have rolled over food offered to the deity.

As many as 300 constables and 100 home guards were deployed at the temple for Lord Shiva’s son Shanmukha or Kartikeya in South Kanara district, 320 km from Bangalore.

Several groups including associations of backward classes have opposed the ritual, believed to be more than 500 years old.

People from various castes perform the ritual, offering “seva” for curing skin diseases and nerve disorders. Lord Subrahmanya is also known as the protector from Kaalasarpa dosha, considered a harmful planetary position in astrology.