Hyderabad: Resorts located on the outskirts of the city are almost fully-booked in advance on account of Vanabhojanam which is observed in the holy month of Karthikam. Most of the bookings are for Tuesday which is Ekadashi, the eleventh day of Karthikam, and Saturday, which is Karthika Pournami.
K. Shiva Prasad, a government employee from Miyapur, says that he and his family regularly observe Vanabhojanam at a farmhouse located on the Miyapur-Bollaram road.
“This time, however, the farmhouse is not available; it has been booked by some others. We have failed to find any other farmhouse or resort either. Some resorts do not allow customers to cook for themselves. We are planning to visit either the Ananthagiri Forest or the reserve forest near Keesara. No special event has been organised this time at the Botanical Garden or at Shilparamam,” he says.
Sundeep Kumar Makthala, the founding president of the Telangana IT Association, says that since Karthika Pournami falls on a Saturday this year, a majority of the techies hailing from AP and Telangana are planning to participate in Vanabhojanams at the Anantagiri Forest. “Nearly 100 techies will participate in Vanabhojanams as well as trekking and other activities,” he says.
While the Telangana tourism department is offering exclusive temple tourism packages, such as a journey from the Nagarjunasagar to Srisailam along with lunch on a boat and a stop in the forest, private tour operators are coming up with exclusive Vanabhojanam packages for places such as Anantagiri, Keesara, Srisailam, and Sringeri in Karnataka.
P. Srilakshmi, the District Forest Officer of Vikarabad, says that the department has beefed up security in forested areas in preparation for Karthika Ekadashi and Pournami. “We are strictly prohibiting cooking in the forest area. The Anantagiri Temple authorities have allotted a space for cooking. The number of pilgrims rushing to the temple for Vanabhojanam is rapidly increasing. We are expecting large crowds on Tuesday and Saturday. The Anantagiri Protection Force will be patrolling the area to guide the public to enjoy the spirit of the occasion while protecting the forest. We will impose a penalty Rs 500 for littering in forest area,” she says. District forest teams in Medchal have installed boards instructing people not to litter in the reserved forest area. They have also set up bins in anticipation of the rush owing to Karthika Vanabhojanam.
