Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Fervour, piety mark celestial wedding

By Our Staff Reporter

BHADRACHALAM April 21. The temple town of Bhadrachalam came alive as the celestial fete of `Sitarama Kalyanam' was performed as a ritual to rejoice with religious fervour on Sunday. A nine-day tourism festival, which culminated on the occasion, has drawn unprecedented crowds.

People who came from far-off places broke into frenzied devout cheer as they had the opportunity to have a glimpse at the grandeur of the Mithila stadium, venue of the divine wedding and the jewels of yore that the deities have been adorned with by the saint poet, Bhakta Ramadas, who built the temple.

The Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, who presented the `mutyala talambralu' keeping in with traditions of the shrine and some his Cabinet colleagues were among the devotees who worshiped the deities. Impressed by the pace of development in the devasthanam as well as the temple town, the Chief Minister reindorsed his support for converting `Bhadradri' into a `Divya Kshetram' in four to five years.

Special services marked the protocol of worship. Pilgrims who spent the night on the sands of the riverbed woke up to the recital of vedic hymns. They joined the vedic pandits who carried the idols to the venue after bathing them in sacred waters. The wedding rituals commenced after seating the idols on the silver throne.

The temple priests adorned deities with the Pachala Pathakam, Chintaku Pathakam and the precious jewellery known for their finesse after exhibiting them to the vast multitude of devotees. The Lord and the Goddess were joined in holy wedlock in the auspicious `abjith lagnam'. The air was filled with mysticism as the `mangalasutra dharana' that marked the climax of the fete was performed with three sutras offered by Bhakta Ramadas on behalf of Dasaratha, Janaka and himself.

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