Anantapur: A large number of Muslim devotees, mostly women, offered traditional offerings to Goddess Nancharamma and Lord Venkateswara Swamy at Devuni Gadapa Temple in Kadapa on occasion of the Ugadi festival on Tuesday.
Muslim women from Kadapa and its surrounding offering sari and essential commodities to the Goddess treating her as Beebi Nancharamma, wife of Lord Venkateswara Swamy, is a centuries-old tradition being followed during Ugadi at Devuni Gadapa every year.
Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Temple, bearing the Vijayanagara architecture, witnessed large queues of devotees, mostly Muslim women wearing burquas, waiting patiently with offerings of rice, green gram, jaggery and other essential commodities at the temple.
Temple priests offered Archana and Harathi to the Lord with the devotees.
According to the legend, the idol of Lord Venkateswara Temple at Devuni Kadapa had been established by Kripacharya. The name Devuni Kadapa finds mention in Puranas as "Kripavathi Kshetram".
It is said that Tallapaka Annamacharya and Kshetrayya visited this place, apart from all Sankaracharyas of the Advaita Mutt.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is administering the temple.
