Makara Sankranti celebrations light up villages across Bamanagaballe
Banaganapalle: Makara Sankranti, the biggest festival of the Telugu people, was celebrated with great fervour across villages in Banaganapalle mandal, Kurnool district. As part of the three-day festival, rural hamlets came alive with traditional rituals, colourful decorations and community gatherings.
On Friday, people marked the auspicious Makara Sankranti by wearing new clothes, preparing festive delicacies and offering prayers at village temples. In the evening, devotees visited their local deities, seeking blessings, while special festivities were organised in several villages. In Banaganapalle town, large numbers of devotees thronged the Maramma temple near Avuku Metta to fulfil vows and offer prayers. Processions were organised from Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Kotnala under the aegis of local farmer associations, with the utsava idols taken through the streets amid traditional music and chants. At Boyapeta, villagers ceremoniously carried the Bangaramma deity on a palanquin, turning the occasion into a vibrant village festival that reflected the spirit of Sankranti.
Meanwhile, Yaganti Sri Uma Maheswara Swamy Kshetram witnessed a special festive atmosphere on the occasion of Makara Sankranti. Following age-old tradition, the utsava idols of Sri Uma Maheswara Swamy descended from the hill shrine, symbolically inviting devotees to the Maha Shivaratri Brahmotsavams held during the month of Magha. This sacred ‘Parveta Utsavam’ is observed every year, during which the divine couple visit surrounding villages as part of a centuries-old custom. After special abhishekams and rituals at the sanctum in the early hours, the utsava idols were placed on a flower-decorated palanquin and taken in procession to Patapadu and other nearby villages, accompanied by devotees and traditional musical ensembles. Village communities welcomed the deities with reverence, performed special prayers and conducted processions through the streets. After completing the two-day Parveta Utsavam, the utsava idols returned to Yaganti Kshetram, marking the grand conclusion of the Sankranti festivities at the sacred shrine.
