Sacred Statues Grace Nizamabad For Oora Panduga Festival
Devotees offered sheep, goats and chickens at various stops, and the main thoroughfares bore witness to these ritual offerings: Reports
NIZAMABAD: The Oora Panduga festival was celebrated on a grand scale in Nizamabad on Sunday, drawing large crowds across the town. Twelve wooden statues, of goddesses Peddamma, Pochamma, Pagadalamma, Sarlamma and deities Kondala Rayudu, Bhogamsani, Mahalaxmi, Ratnam and the Big Tiger, were taken out in procession from the centuries-old Quilla fort, where special pujas had been performed. The Sarva Samaj Committee organised the festivities, which are held every year during Ashada Masam and include ritual immersion of the statues in the Godavari River waters.
Nizamabad Urban MLA Dhanpal Suryanarayana Gupta, MLC Balmuri Venkat Narsing Rao, Nuda chairman Kesha Venu, Sarva Samaj Committee president Endala Laxminarayana and Congress leader Narala Ratnakar were among the dignitaries in attendance.
The procession followed a route from the Quilla through Pedda Bazaar, Gole Hanuman, Phulong, Vinayaknagar, Gandhi Chowk, Gurbabadi Road and Dubba. Traditional dancers, Potharajulu and Shivasattulu, performed en route, delighting onlookers.
Devotees offered sheep, goats and chickens at various stops, and the main thoroughfares bore witness to these ritual offerings. The police deployed elaborate security arrangements, and commissioner P. Sai Chaitanya personally inspected the procession routes to ensure public safety.