City getting ready for Yagam

Vijayawada: The sprawling Swarajya Maidan grounds in the heart of the city is ready to host the prestigious Mahalakshmi Yagam to be conducted by Sri Tridandi Sriramachandra Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami from March 21. This is the 13th Yagam in a row conducted by the Jeeyar. The venue has been spruced up for the Yagam proceedings. There is also another Yagasala for conducting Yagas like Putrakamesti, and another hall for the Swamiji's discourse. The Yagas would be held every day till March 28 with thousands of devotees from across the State participating. The organisers have made elaborate arrangements for offering free meal for the devotees and visitors at the venue. About 10,000 devotees can have their meals at a time at the venue.A The Swamiji has been touring the city for the past 15 days after completing his district tour to prepare the devotees for the Yagam. Speaking about the Mahalakshmi Yagam, Sri Tridandi Sriramachandra Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami said that there would be a Ksheera Sagaram (sea of milk) at the venue with over 2000 litres of milk collected from the devotees. The deity Mahalakshmi would emerge from the Ksheera Sagaram during the Yagam, which would be a special attraction for the devotees, he said. The Swamiji said that they have also invited the Peethadhipathis from across the country and about 27 of them have confirmed their visit to the city. They would be participating in the Yagam adding fervour to the programme. He expressed confidence that the devotees from the city and its suburbs would make use of the rarest opportunity and get the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi Devi.