Lakhs of devotees’ trek for Ugadi

Kurnool: Festive fervour gripped at Srisailam with more than 5 lakh devotees, particularly 90 per cent of devotees arriving from Karnataka state to celebrate Ugadi festival on Sunday. The temple authorities have made elaborate arrangements to organise the festival on a grand note on Sunday. On the occasion, the temple, which is famous in the state and called as Dakshin Kashi, witnessed lakh of devotees.

The temple officials organised special programmes including cultural events as part of the traditional manner from morning to late night. Thousands of pilgrims from Karnataka trek hundreds of kilometres on foot to reach Srisailam to fulfil their vows.

An interesting feature is most of the people of Karnataka and some parts of Maharashtra visits the temple on the occasion of Ugadi utsavams and present their yearly offerings like tamarind, kumkum, saree, mangala sutram, flowers and others to Goddess Bhramaramba Devi.

They also carry Nandi Kavallu (called as Kambi in Kannada) on their shoulders which consist of Nandi images and offer pooja to it every day during their travel to Srisailam. Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh consider Sivaratri as the major festival while Karnataka pilgrims celebrate Ugadi (New Year) at Srisailam, the abode of Mallikarjuna Swamy (whom they consider him as their son-in-law) and Bhramaramba Devi (daughter).

On the night before Ugadi day, a particular group of Kannada devotees called as Ghanacharis express their devotion by performing the Agnigunda Pravesam like walking on the blowing embers. They also pierce with sharp pointed weapons to their forehead, tongue, cheek, chin, hands and other parts of body. This practice is called as Veerachara Vinyasalu.

The Alankaras offered to Goddess are Mahalakshmi, Mahadurga, Mahasaraswathi, Rajarajeswari and Nijalankarana of Bhramaramba. During evening hours of everyday, the procession of Vahana Sevas and Alankaras will take place. The car festival performed in the evening hours of Ugadi day in a grand manner.