The city is gearing up for Sri Rama Navami. With just a day left for the nine-day-long festival to commence, temples and markets are abuzz with activity.
Organisers have put up huge pandals for the festival at colonies and at prime locations. The prominent ones are the pandals erected on Besant Road, Benz Circle and One Town. The city is known for chaluva pandirulu or pandals with date palm leaves during Rama Navami.
They planned to organise ‘Srirama Kalyanam’ during ‘Abhijit Lagnam’. The festivities will begin at 9 a.m. and the celestial wedding will be held at 10.30 a.m. ‘Mutyala Talambralu’ will be held at noon.
Sri Sitarama Kalyana Mahotsava Abhivriddhi Committee on Besant Road has come out with a colourful booklet-invitation with details about the programmes and sponsors. The Committee has been organising the celebrations since 1955. ommittee secretary Pothina Ramprasad said that they brought 5-kg pearls for mutyala talambralu. The pearls would be distributed among the shops and philanthropists who made donations for the celebrations, he said.
The Committee has also made arrangements for ‘annadanam’ (community feeding) everyday, he said.
Sri Rama temples at Guru Nanak Nagar Colony, Patamata, Patamatalanka, Krishnalanka, Ranigarithota, Poornandampeta, Ayodhya Nagar have been spruced up for the festival.
Saibaba temple near Maris Stella College is also being spruced for the festival. The devotees throng Saibaba temples on Srirama Navami, a practice in vogue in Shirdi also. Flagpoles have been installed on either side of roads leading to the temples that are decked up with bunting, streamers and marigold flowers along with colourful blinking lights.