Date:16/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/16/stories/2008041651130300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Governor to inaugurate Jaggayyapet fete

Staff Reporter

JAGGAYYAPETA: A four-day ‘Jaggayyapet Mahotsavam’ is being organised here from May 1 to bring to light the glorious history of Jaggayyapet.

Governor N. D. Tiwari would inaugurate the event, while State Ministers K. Roasaiah and Dharmana Prasada Rao, Assembly Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy and district Ministers and MLAs would participate.

Speaking to reporters after releasing the logo of the event, local MLA Samineni Udayabhanu said on Tuesday that the objective was to unfold the ancient culture and tradition of this glorious town in the presence of the younger generation.

He said a Buddhist sthupam constructed by Siddha Nagarjuna, an herbal medicine expert and a chief follower of Acharya Nagarjuna, in 400 BC marked the initiation of the preaching of Buddhism here. The town got its name when local ruler Vasireddy Venkatadrinaidu decided to call it Jaggayyapet in memory of his father Jagga Bhupaludu during the Kakatiya reign.

The festival would also be used as a platform to highlight the significance of importance temples, including the Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala, the Lakshminarsimha Swamy temple at Vedadri and the Tirupathamma temple at Penuganchiprolu.

Mr. Udayabhanu said outstanding personalities from various fields like cultural exponents, freedom fighters, industrialists, intellectuals, sportspersons and handloom weavers would be felicitated.

The premises of S.V.R. College, the main venue of the festival, would be illuminated and decorated. Separate committees had been formed to ensure that all aspects of the festival were taken care of. Different departments of the Government would set up stalls.