Over 2lakh attend Hanuman Jayanti fete

Jagtial : It was a grand celebration at the Kondagattu Anjaneya Swamy Temple packed with devotees as many as two lakhs in number, who rushed from midnight on Friday for darshan and continued to do so until Saturday afternoon.

Officials reported that around 2,00,000 devotees visited the temple and completed their rituals. The large number of devotees made it difficult for the police to control the crowd. As the number of devotees increased outside the temple, it took about three hours for the devotees to have a darshan of the deity. The sudden influx of devotees caused a stampede, resulting in a devotee breaking his arm.

Meanwhile, officials conducted grand Hanuman Jayanti celebrations, decorating the temple with flowers and performing various rituals. These included Thirumanjanam (sacred bath), Dravida Prabandha Parayanam (chanting of Tamil scriptures), Havan (fire ritual), Panchamrita Abhishekam (ablution with five nectars), Sahasra Nagavalli Archana (thousand-leaf worship), Tulasi Dala Archana (basil leaf worship), and Homa (fire sacrifice).

The midday rituals included Purnahuti (final offering), Ooyala Seva (swing service), Mantrapushpam (flower offering), and Maha Nivedana (grand offering). After the ceremonies, devotees were given sacred offerings (Teertha Prasadam).