Lakhs take part in Rama Navami festivities

Kakinada: The Kalyanotsavam of Lord Rama was celebrated at Gollalamamidada of Pedapudi mandal in East Godavari district on Friday. Main priest Manjunathacharyulu performed the ceremony amidst chanting of Vedic hymns.

District Collector Neetu Kumari Prasad, Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Sesha Reddy and his wife offered silk clothes and 'Thalambralu'. The idols of Lord Rama and Sita were brought to the dais in a procession.Lakhs of devotees from all over the district attended. Elaborate arrangements were made by the temple authorities for the comfort of the devotees. Large tents were put up. Volunteers distributed water and buttermilk. Police made tight bandobust to avoid untoward incidents.

Some 25,000 devotees witnessed the Kalyanotsavam. Free food distribution was also made by the temple staff.

Botcha wishes prosperity for the State Vizianagaram: The people of the State should be prosperous and happy and there should be compatibility between couples, hoped PCC chief and Minister for Transport Botcha Satyanarayana. He, along with his wife MP Jhansi Lakshmi, attended the Sitarama Kalyanam at Ramatheertham of Nellimarla mandal.

On this occasion, the minister urged all men to take Lord Rama who had only one wife as a role model and all women to take Sita who accompanied her husband even in strife as role model. It has become a practice to celebrate Sri Ramanavami every year for the prosperity of the world, he said. Earlier, the minister and his wife Botcha Jhansilakshmi performed special pujas and offered silk clothes to the deity. They participated in Kalyanotsavam on the temple premises.

The celestial marriage that was celebrated in the presence of a huge crowd of devotees was replete with pearls used as 'Thalambralu' and silk clothes that were offered by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). The minister also offered gold Vishnutulasi and Krishnatulasi garlands. The rituals were performed by Godavarthi Lakshminarasimhacharyulu. After the ceremony the priests blessed the minister couple and offered them prasadam.

Along with them, MLC Gade Srinivasulu Naidu, Nellimerla MLA Badukonda Appalanaidu, Gajapathi MLA Botcha Appalanarsaiah, RDO G Rajakumari, temple executive officer Baburao and other officials, MLAs and people participated.

Temples overcrowded Srikakulam: Sri Ramanavami celebrations took place on a grand scale in the district on Friday. All Ramalayas were overcrowded with the devout. Long queues of devotees who believe that Lord Rama will fulfill all their wishes could be seen outside the temples.

Lord Rama's birthday and later his celestial marriage with Sita was celebrated in all the temples. Several Hanuman devotees on the Andhra Odisha border, who completed their vows on Friday, celebrated the festival with gaiety, chanting Hanuman Chalisa and performing Sri Rama Japam.