Shakti temples come alive during Gangamma Jatara fete in Chittoor
The Hindu
Thousands of devotees, from T.N. and Karnataka as well, participate in the 300 years old festival
Amid strict security, over two lakh devotees participated in the annual Ganga Jatara celebrations here on Wednesday and offered pujas to Goddess Gangamma Thalli at the famous Bazaar street pandal.
It is interesting to note that except for the clay idols that are sculpted and later immersed on the second day of the two-day jatara, there are no temples dedicated to the Goddess.
Marking the three-centuries-old festival that received patronage from British and Arcot Nawabs, the Shakti temples at Obanapalle, Santhapeta, Doddipalle, Murakambattu, Greamspet, and Kongareddy Palle localities in and around Chittoor Municipal Corporation witnessed frenzied moments with performance of a series of rituals and cultural activities.
The jatara starts with the hereditary “Dharmakarta” of the festival and former MLA C.K. Babu rendering “Tholi Puja” (initiation) at Ponniyamman Koil temple, and other pandals.
After dawn, the Ambali ritual (a dish made of rice, ragi, and curd) commences, continuing till late night. Hundreds of devotees take part in the ritual that includes pouring the “ambali” into the barrels kept near the deity, before collecting some of it for themselves.
Later, the idol was taken out in a grand procession through the arterial junctions of the town before getting immersed in the Kattamanchi tank bring curtains on the two-day event. As is the tradition in vogue since the British times, thousands of devotees from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka participated in the festival at the invitation of their relatives in Chittoor.
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