Stray dog participated in Giri Pradakshina

VIJAYAWADA: In an interesting piece of news, a stray dog participated in the Indrakeeladri Giripradakshina(walking around the hill) on Thursday at Vijayawada. The street dog circumambulated the entire Indrakeeladri hill which covers a distance of 7kms along with devotees.

The Vedic Committee and Sri DurgaMalleswara Swamy Devasthanam authorities have designed the programme on the lines of Tiruvannamali (Arunachalam) Girivalam (GiriPradakshina) on every full moon day a few months back. It is known that Arunachalam Giripradakshina covering around 14-kms is the greatest ritual programme observed by around 6 to 10 lakh devotees on every month's full moon day. Similarly, Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Devasthanam has also been conducting this ritual. Apart from Dasara festivities and Bhavani Deeksha fete, the Giripradakshina is also being observed by thousands of devotees on every full moon day.

For the last two months, a street dog is being seen to participate in this ritual pradakshina along with the devotees. Devotees are assuming the dog is the Kalabhairava, hindu god who came to observe the giripradakshina process. The Giripradishana commences at morning 6am and concludes by 11am on full moon day. The Pradakshina starts at the Sri Kamadhenu temple and passes through Kummaripalem,Sitara Junction, Kabela, Milk Project centre, Chittinagar, Kothapeta, Nehru bomma centre, conculiding at Sri Kanaka Durga Temple.