Temple Festivals & Fairs
There
are thousands of centres, religious or secular where weekly, monthly or annual
fairs are held. Every village and town in Andhra has some kind of temple
or place of worship where religious festivals are held accompanied by fairs. Some of them are of local
importance, others have a
wider significance. Amaravati Srisailam, Tripurantakam, Kaleswaram,
Daksharamam, Kalahasti vemulavada and Inavole are the most important Saiva
Kshetras and Srikurmam, Simhachalam, Nellore, Tirupati, Ahobilam,
Srikakulam yadagiri, Bhadrachalam and Mamgalagiri are the most important
Vaishnava Kshetras. Warangal, Mandapaka, Alampuram, Secundrabad, Bejawada,
Sulurpeta and Donakonda are important Sakti Kshetras.
These
places attract millions of devotees throughout the year, and the rituals
observed here are traditional, in accordance with the Agamas.
Kotappakonda Temple Fair
Kotappakonda
in Narasaraopet taluk of Guntur district is a temple of Koteseswara Swamy, a
chief place of worship. On the Mahashivarathri day, a big fair is held
and lakhs of people participate in it. Sweet meats, clothes, bangles,
toys, bamboo articles, and also goats, cows and other domestic animals are sold
in this fair. Devotees who come here take a vow get their heads shaved. Many
of them come to the hill from their villages with decorated and lighted prabhas
to redeem their vows. These prabhas number about five hundred at the fair.
Some of them are nearly thirty - five metres high and are expense.
Maridamma Festival & Fair
Maridamma temple is located in Peddapuram taluk in East Godavari district. Maridamma festival is celebrated for thirty-one days from the Amavasya in
the month of Jyeshtha to the Amavasya in the month of Ashadha. Thousands
congregate with dances like kolatoms and display physical feats and skills with sticks.
They also revel in music, dance drumming, garaga dances, processions and other
communal activities. A wide variety of house hold articles are sold in the
fair held during the festival. Cycle races, cattle shows, parrot circuses
and agricultural exhibitions are also held here. 'Kumbham' is carried in
decorated vessels, kept in open carts. Sometimes men and women dressed to
resemble those personages stand on the carts. These carts are taken in
procession to the temple to the accompaniment of music and dance and offered to
the God, then food is distributed as 'prasadam'.
Sambhulingeswara Kalyanotsavam
The Kalyanotsavam of Sambhulingeswara is celebrated
during Mahasivaratri for five days. On the first day, Prabhas are taken out in
procession. Kalyanam, village procession, Rathotsavam Ponnaseva, Vasantotsavam
and Pavalimpuseva are performed on the following days. Cash, silver and
gold ornaments, coconuts, fruits and flowers are offered to the Lord.
Devotees also offer cows and calves, tying - them to the Dhwajasthambha in
fulfillment of their vows. It is believed that childless women who perform puja
for five days, wearing wet clothes, would be blessed with children. Fasting and
Jagaranam are also observed. A large five-day fair including a cattle fair is
held near the temple.
Yellaramma Jatara
Yellaramma temple is situated in Madapaka in Tanuku Taluk of
West Godavari district. Yellaramma Jatara
is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of chaitra. Yellaramma is
companion of Kakatamma, the famous goddess of Kaktiya monarch. She has
four hands, holding a damaruka and a sword in the two right hands and a trident
and a drinking vessel in the two left hands. Below the feet of the deity
is the image of an animal identified as a fox by some and a bandicoot by
others. Goddess yellamma (Yellaramma) is worshipped all over Andhra.
The garaga procession of this place is very famous and a fair is also organised.
Other temples in the Madapaka like Someswaraswami,
Kesavaswami and Srirama Ganapati also celebrate Kalyanotsavams. Someswaraswami Kalyanotswavam is
celebrated for five days in the month of Magha. Kesavaswami Kalyanotsavam
is celebrated for seven days in the month of phalguna.
Jaladurga Kalyanotsavam
Kolletikola
in Kaikalur taluk of Krishna district is a place of historical significance. There was a
temple dedicated to Jaladurga in Kolletikola. The festival of this deity is
celebrated for sixteen days from the first day of the month of phalguna.
The tenth, eleventh and twelfth are important festive days. On the
eleventh day the wedding of Jaladurga and Gokarmeswara swami is celebrated.
About ten thousands fowls, five hundred goats, and a thousand sheep are
sacrificed to the deity. The sacrifices are conducted behind the fort, far
away from the temple. Coconuts, plantains, saffron and kumkum are also
offered to the deity. About one lakh persons from neighbouring districts
congregate during the festival. A fair is held in front of the
temple.
Marriage of Bhadrakali
and Virabhadra
Tegada
in Nagur, independent sub-taluk of Khannan district, has Bhadrakali and
Virabhadraswami temple as a place of worship. The marriage of Bhadrakali
and Virabhadra is celebrated for two days on the 13th and 14th
days of the dark fortnight in the month of Magha. On the morning of
Trayodasi Lord Virabhadraswami is taken to the river Godavari, which is about
three kilometers from this place to the accompaniment of music and Abhishekam is
performed with the holy waters and the idol is brought back to the temple. Then
'sunku'
is measured before the Lord. Sunku is explained as follows.
Some
rice is measured before the image of the Lord with a new earthen pitcher and
poured into a new pot, then it is covered with an earthen plate and is wrapped
in a new cloth. The seal of the Lord is affixed on the knot of the cloth
and the pot is kept to the left of the pedestal of the image. Before the
procession of the Lord starts in the night, the pot is opened and the same
person measures that rice again with the same pitcher, more rice is found, than
what was measured into the pot in the morning. If it is found that the
quantity of the rice in the pot has increased, the festival is celebrated
considering it as a good omen. There is a procession throughout the night.
During the procession some devotees pierce their tongues or cheeks with marasalu,
coconuts, jaggery, fruits and pumpkins are offered. Some devotees bathe in
Godavari and observe fasting and jagaranam. Some devotees do fire- walking
also.
Durgamma Festival
This
festival is celebrated for four days in the month of Bhadrapada. On the
first day, the water for worship is brought from a near by river Majira.
On the second day, a buffalo intended for sacrifice is taken to the river.
After worshipping the water-goddess, the buffalo is washed there. It is
then decorated and brought to the temple in a procession to the
accompaniment of music. The next day the buffalo is sacrificed and
after that devotees sacrifice innumerable jowls, goats, rams and buffaloes.
In the evening, the ground in-front of the temple is cleaned and a heap of cooked
rice and mutton is kept as offering to the deity. An unbaked earthen pot
is buried up to its neck and a winnow is placed over it. A woman sits on
the winnow and apparently possessed predicts future events. A man
representing poturaju, the brother of Durgamma, is smeared with turmeric and
vermilion and decorated round his head, neck and waist with margosa leaves.
He goes round the temple and kills a sacrificial lamb by biting its throat.
On the last day, devotees go round the temple with bomalu (puppets). Carts and bullocks
decorated with flowers and coloured sarees are taken round the temple. Prasadam
is distributed. A fair is held here during the festival.
Other Temple Festivals
Nizamabad, the district
headquarters of Nizamabad is another historical place. Bada Rama Mandir, Dalta Mandir
temples of Hanuman, Raghunathaswami, Nilakantheswaraswami and Venkateswara are
the places of worship. In Bada Rama Mandir, Sri Rama Navami festival is
celebrated from ten days and Dalta jayanti is celebrated in Dalta Mandir
for nine days in the
month of Margasera. Bhajans, Harikathas and free feeding are the order of
the day. The Nilkantheswara temple is located on a picturesque hillock and
is enclosed by a high wall. The significance of the temple is that the
rays of the rising sun fall directly on Shiva lingam. Nilakantheswara festival
is celebrated for two days during Ratha Saptami in the month of Magha and more
than thirty thousand devotees congregate. The Jhanda festival or
Venkateswara swami mela is celebrated for fifteen days in the month of
Bhadrapada. A flag is installed in a particular place and pilgrims throng
to see it. It is carried to Tirupati far away in Chittor district and
brought back every year. Some devotees redeem their vow here, if they are unable
to go Tirupati. Offerings are made in the form of cash as well as in kind.
Bejjanki in the
Karimmagar taluk of Karimmagar district has the Lakshminarasimha Swami temple,
on a near by hillock. The annual celebrations of Lakshminarasimha Swami
and the Andal Kalyanam and Ratholsavam are held here for twelve days in
the month of Chaitra according to the agama Sastra. Bandlaseva is
the worship of carts. The carts are washed and cleaned and all the parts are
painted red and white. Festoons of green mango leaves and coloured
paper are tied to them. Bullocks are also washed and decorated with
various colour designs. The carts are driven as a part of a competition.
The loud music of drums and coaxing and goading of the bullocks into a faster
pace are infectious and exciting. At three in the morning the cart
festival is celebrated. Devotees fulfill their vows by lighting the path
with torches, while the idol for procession is brought down from hill top to be
placed on the cart. About twenty - five thousand devotees congregate
during this festival and a fair is held in an area of over thirteen acres.
Uravakonda,
the taluk headquarters in Anantapur district has Siddheswara, Malleswara
Subbaraya and Pundurangaswami temples. The Siddheswara temple is located
within the spacious high-walled compound of Gavimutt which was established by
Karibasavaswami, the disciple of Vairagya, Chennabasavaswami, a great
Saiva saint preaching the Basava cult. These saints are known for their
austere life and service to humanity. The samadhi of Karibasavaswami which
is near the yogamantapa has been a place of worship for the last two centuries.
The chariot festival is celebrated for the eight days in the month of
phalguna.
Forty to fifty thousand devotees from different states attend this festival.
A fair is held during these eight days in the open grounds in front of the
temple. Feeding of poor is also organised.
Alampuram,
the taluk headquarters in Mahboob Nagar district, it is on the bank of the river
Tungabhadra and it is a sacred place. Alampuram is reputed for 'Koti
lingas'.
The place is known as Brahmeswaram. The Brahmeswaram is the only place
where an image of Brahma with four head is worshipped. This is also called
Parasurama Kshetram as sage Parasurama is said to have lived here with his
parents - Jamadagmi and Renuka. It is here that dutiful Parasurama carried
out the orders of his father and cut off his mother's head. The head of Renuka
is worshipped as Ellamma throughout Andhra and her trunk that remained there is
worshipped as Bhudevi or mother of earth. The beautifully sculptured stone
torso of Renuka, is housed in a mantapa near Bala Brahmeswara. Married
couples who have no children offer butter to the trunk idol and take it back as
sacred prasadam. There are nine Brahmeswara temples built in the northern
style inside the fort area of Alampuram. They are Balabrahma, Kumarabrahma,
Arkabrahma, Virabrahma, Viswabrahma, Tarakabrhma, Garuda brahma, Swargabrahma
and Padmabrahma temples. The Balabrahma Shivalingam is said to be 'Swayambhu' self born. All the water that is poured on
Balabrahmeswaralingam, during Abhisheka, sinks just round the lingam without a
drop flowing outside. Other temples venerate Dumthi, Ganapathi, Daltatroya,
Narasimhaswami, Anjaneyaswami, Suryanarayama-venkateswara, and Krishna.
