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Thousands of devotees witness Teppotsavam
Soaked in divine bliss and spiritual ecstasy, Bhadradri, the abode of Lord Sita Ramachandra Swamy, sparkled in devotion as the presiding deity Lord Rama, along with his consorts, was taken on a celestial cruise in the waters of Godavari on a hugely decked-up Hamsa Vahanam.
Bhadrachalam: Soaked in divine bliss and spiritual ecstasy, Bhadradri, the abode of Lord Sita Ramachandra Swamy, sparkled in devotion as the presiding deity Lord Rama, along with his consorts, was taken on a celestial cruise in the waters of Godavari on a hugely decked-up Hamsa Vahanam.
The temple town Bhadrachalam was on Wednesday evening abuzz with nearly one lakh devotees occupying every nook and corner around the shrine and along the karakatta (river bank) to have a glimpse of the colourful fete, 'Teppotsavam' (float festival). As the glittering swan-shaped boat was set in motion slowly in the still waters, the river banks reverberated with 'Jai Sri Ram' chants while the firecrackers lit up the sky on the far end of the river banks making the occasion electrifying.
Earlier, bringing the curtains down for the 10-day Mukkoti Ekadasi celebrations ahead of auspicious Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam on Thursday, the ritual got underway as the presiding deities were brought in a procession from the main temple to River Godavari amid the chants of Vedic hymns followed by hordes of devotees. Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy and Minister for Forests Jogu Ramanna took part in the procession and carried the palanquin of the Lord.
The coinciding of the New Year and Vaikunta Ekadasi has made the occasion even more auspicious as the devotees thronged in huge numbers to witness the Lord's Fete. It has been a hectic task for the police to arrange a fool-proof security for the VIPs and the pilgrims, especially when there was a Maoist activity in the region for the last few days.
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District Collector K. Ilambarthi and the Superintendent of Police Shawnawaz Qasim have made elaborate arrangements for the fiesta. As many as 1,200 police personnel were put on duty for the event, besides installing CCTV cameras at all vantage points.Meanwhile, ITDA Project Officer D. Divya, temple Executive officer K. Jyothi and ASP Prakash Reddy made necessary arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival.
By:Adepu Mahender
