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Guntur: Seven villagers spend Rs 2.50 crore on chariots

To appease Siva for education, wealth and health.

GUNTUR: The people of seven villages have spent Rs 2.50 crore of their own money for 14 electric Prabhalu (chariots) to worship Lord Siva on the occasion of Mahashivaratri at Kotappakonda; these chariots are the biggest attraction of the mega festive night. This is the only place where the public is spending cores of their own money for the one-day festival.

Locals of Appapuram, Purushottamapatnam, Kammavartipalem, Kavuru, Maddirala, Ameensahebpalem, and Yadavalli have been bringing out such religious processions with Prabhalu for the past 300 years with their own money. Mahashivaratri is AP’s state festival and people in large numbers from AP, Telangana state, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other areas participate.

The generator fitted electric Prabhalu with specially decorated arches with Lord Siva’s replicas in bamboo and the new colourful clothes are the main attraction of at Kotappakonda. Further the villagers display the flags of their favourite political party. The Uppalapadu, Guravai-palem and Ligngam-guntla displayed YSR Congress flag while Kammavaripalem, Kavuru and other villages displayed the Telugu Desam flags.

Locals of Kavuru, P. Ramaiah, D. Srinu and others said it would cost Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh to construct one chariot hence all the people of the village belonging to Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities contribute generously for Prahalu and join the procession on the mega night celebrations. The locals of Purushotammapatnam brought seven Chariots as seven families of the village constructed seven chariots based their family names. Vidadalavari, Thota Pullappa Thata, Mandalaneni, Bhaira, Chinnathota, Yadavarajula.

The locals said that Lord Siva will give education, knowledge, wealth, health and wisdom to the public if they bring the chariots to the hilltop’s Trikoteswara temple. Hence everybody without religion, caste and creed differences give money to the committee that takes up the chariot construction. They said that earlier dance recordings with cine and drama artistes used to be played on the chariots but due to norms the same was stopped. They lamented that earlier 150 to 200 Prabhas used to come but now they had dropped to below 50 due to increased cost of chariots.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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