Tirupati: YSRCP leaders hail GO announcing Gangamma Jathara as a State festival

Tirupati: It is a celebration time for the Tirupatians. Hailing the government decision to observe Tataiahgunta Gangamma temple Jathara as a state festival, people from various walks of life gathered at Gangamma temple here to celebrate it and also offered prayers to the Goddess. The YSRCP local leaders and Corporators led by Deputy Mayor Bhumana Abhinay Reddy broke 1,000 coconuts to mark the occasion and offered prayers to the Goddess as a thanks giving to the government for recognising the historical, cultural importance and popularity of the Gangamma Jathara, the spiritual carnival, which will be observed every year in May.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Mayor Bhumana Abhinay said that City MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy's tireless efforts bore fruits with the government from this year onwards to celebrate the Gangamma Jathara as a state festival.

Stating that Karunakar Reddy was responsible for Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy visiting the shrine last year during his official visit, laying the path for the all-round development of the temple, he reminded that the MLA also took up the reconstruction of the temple at the cost of Rs 20 crore including Rs 3 crore from TTD to replace the small shrine into a magnificent stone structure reflecting rich temple art to bring back the past glory of the 900-year-old Gangamma temple.

He said preparations were on for the grand celebration of the week-long jathara this year which will commence in May second week. The reconstruction work is going on briskly to complete it before the commencement of jathara which will be held in May second week.

He also thanked the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for the government's decision to observe Gangamma Jathara as state festival.

It may be noted that on Tuesday, the government issued a GO Ms No 9 dated 13-04-2023 for the celebration of Gangamma Jathara as a state festival based on the letter from the Chief Executive Officer of the AP State Creative and Culture Commission. The order said that Tirupati Gangamma Jathara is a historical and spiritual carnival reflecting its resplendent cultural legacy of the temple city. Mayor Dr R Sirisha, Deputy Mayor Mudra Narayana, corporators, temple chairman Katta Gopi Yadav, Talari Rajendra and Dinesh Royal joined the breaking of coconuts and congratulated each other for the government GO.