Thousands Witness Sita Rama Kalyanam At Bhadradri

Thousands of devotees from all parts of the country thronged the temple town of Bhadrachalam in Bhadradri Kothagudem district today to witness the wedding of Lord Rama with Sita on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami.

The holy town on the banks of the river Godavari was decked up resplendently for the annual event, held at Mithila Stadium. Amidst mangalavadyams (auspicious notes), Vedic scholars performed the wedding in the Abhijit lagnam.

Earlier, the idols of the divine couple were brought in a procession from the temple after performing "Suprabhatham" and "Abhishekham".

Excited devotees from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and other states offered "mutyala talambralu" (a mixture of pearls and rice mixed with turmeric and saffron) to the divine couple.

This year (Vilambinama samvatsaram) has a rare distinction as Lord Vishnu descended on earth as Rama in the Vilambi year in the threta yuga. Rama last tied the knot to Sita in the Vilambi year in 1958.

Arrangements were made in the Mithila Stadium for 35,000 devotees to witness the kalyanam this year. Devotees patiently waited in a kilometre-long queue to witness the ritual. The temple, Mithila Stadium and the holy town reverberated with the chanting of the names of Rama and Sita.

On behalf of the Telangana state government, Endowments Minister Allolla Indrakaran Reddy, Roads & Buildings Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao, Animal Husbandry and Cinematography Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Greater Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan and several other offered mutyala talambralu and silk clothes to the deities. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's family members also participated in the celebrations.

The TSRTC operated special buses from all parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Besides, the South Central Railway also ran a special train between Secunderabad and Bhadrachalam to clear the rush of passengers.

Sri Rama Navami was celebrated in all other parts of Telangana in a grand manner, too. The celebrations were led by Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy in Medak, Finance Minister Etela Rajender in Karimnagar, Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary at the Seetharama temple in Rupureddypalli in Regonda mandal in Jayashankar-Bhupalapally district, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari in the celebrations at Hanmakonda Teachers Colony in Warangal, Power Minister G Jagadish Reddy in Suryapet and Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao in Siddipet.