The priest Bantupalli Venkata Rao, who was perched atop the Sirimanu, blessed the devotees which moved three times in the conventional route of Sri Pydimamba temple located near the Three Lamp Junction to the historic fort in Vizianagaram on Tuesday.

Grandeur marks Sirimanotsavam in Vizianagaram

A large number of devotees throng the Fort City to witness the 266-year-old festival; officials ensure completion of the procession before 5 p.m.

by · The Hindu

Traditional Sirimanotsavam was conducted peacefully on Tuesday evening in spite of the presence of an unprecedented number of devotees who thronged the Fort City to witness the 266-year-old festival. Breaking the old system, the district administration took steps for early movement of the sirimanu between Sri Pydimamba temple and Vizianagaram fort at 3.30 p.m. Normally, the procession begins at 4.30 p.m. and it was delayed almost by one hour in 2022 and 2023.

The officials took special care for the completion of the procession within 5 p.m. The priest Bantupalli Venkata Rao, who was perched atop the Sirimanu, blessed the devotees which moved three times in the conventional route of Sri Pydimamba temple located near the Three Lamp Junction to the historic fort. Paladhara and Anjali radham have also moved along with sirimanu in the route in a hassle-free manner. Minister for MSME Kondapalli Srinivas, Minister for Tribal Welfare Gummadi Sandhyarani and other public representatives moved sirimanu, a long trunk of a tamarind tree.

Former Union Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, MLA Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raju and other members of Pusapati family offered prayers to sirimanu from the fort. Former minister and MLC Botcha Satyanarayana and his wife Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi watched the procession from District Cooperative Central Bank which is on the opposite side of the fort.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Satyanarayana hoped the Vizianagaram would be in the path of development with the blessing of the presiding deity Sri Pydimamba. Earlier, several public representatives, including Undi MLA Raghurama Krishnamraju, Parvatipuram legislator Bonela Vijayachandra and S.Kota MLA Kolla Lalitakumari, visited the temple and offered prayers on the auspicious occasion.

District Collector B.R. Ambedkar and Vizianagaram Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal, who coordinated the arrangements, thanked people for making Sirimanotsavam and Vizianagaram Utsav a grand success. Mr. Jindal said that a three-layer security system helped the police in preventing untoward incidents in the festivals.

Published - October 15, 2024 07:06 pm IST