Mahankali Jatara concludes with a grand finale

The two-day grand celebration of Lalbazar Mahankali Jatara concluded with religious fervor here on Thursday. The procession of ‘Pachikunda’, the wet clay pot, which was made an hour before the commencement of the procession, was carried by Renugunta Naresh through the streets of Tirumalgherry.

Earlier, his father Ganesh used to perform this event. Their family has been following this tradition for the last 165 years. They prepare the pot and visit the temple to initiate the Rangamprogramme. The temple coordinatorsand people welcomed the procession with devotion while young folk danced around it.

The pot was placed in a pit and Erpula Jagadish, theperson evoking goddess stood on it. He predicted the ‘Bhavishyavani’, the oracle. He predicted that all is well and advised the women about the rituals to be followed for the wellbeing of their families.

Later, as part of the ritual, the ‘BaliGampa’, the huge pumpkin filled with bonamswas taken to the outskirts of the city and spread all over.
The final event was the procession of Ghatam. The grand gala celebration was concluded when the Ghatam reached the temple.

The feats of Potharajuswere the prime attraction during the processions and other programmes. Unlike other parts of Telangana, the celebrations are held on Wednesday and Thursday.

All the programmes ofthe festival are organised by the respective communities and families residing in this area. They have been performing these rituals for the last 165 years.

By G Balakrishna