Religious fervour pervades Khammam city

​Khammam: The celestial wedding of Rama was performed with his consort Sita amidst much pomp and gaiety at various Rama temples on Monday.

The Parnashala at Indiranagar, Ramalayams at NSP colony, Prabhat Talkies, Railway station, Ricca Bazaar, Shantinagar and Sri Rama temple at Gandhi Chowk in the city were decorated for the occasion and men and women carried garlands, coconuts and other offerings.

 The town wore a festive look with a large number of devotees, mostly women, making a beeline to the temples.

The Vemulapalli Venkateshwar Rao, the President of the Kiranajagiri Marchants Association, said that for the past 71 years the Srirama Navami celebrations are being organised here at Gandhi Chowk of the Khammam city on a grand scale. The celebrations were held for the first time in 1948, organised then by his relative Vemulapalli Nagabhushanam along with locals and in 1956, a separate temple was constructed.

 He considered that it was his fortunate to be associated with the celebrations. The common men and business people patronise the festival.  At the TNGO’s colony, the festival was held on a grand scale in Sri Sitaramaswamy Temple with number of devotees exceeding the capacity of the temple.

 Meanwhile, thousands of people from every corner of the city thronged the Lakaram tank bund to witness the grand celebrations organised by the district administration with the initiative taken by Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao and Local MLA Puvvada Ajay Kumar. 

The local people’s representatives and officials also took part in the celebrations and offered silk clothes to the deities. Spiritual programmes, music concert and other activities were organised to mark the Sri Rama Navami celebrations at Lakaram Tank bund in Khammam City.