The ongoing nine-day brahmotsavams (Tirunallu) of Draupadi-Dharmarajula Swami temple in Puttur is in full swing. The focus will be on the last three days of the festival with the events of Alugu Utsavam and Agnigunda Pravesam, scheduled for Friday and Sunday.
On the eve of Alugu Utsavam, hundreds of devotees from the Tamil-speaking belt of Puttur, Nagari, Nagalapuram and bordering villages in Tamil Nadu reached Puttur to take part in special pujas.
The highlight of this 250-year-old event is the consecration of the six-foot-high silver sword with its pointed edge mystically poised on the floor inside the temple. Goddess Draupadi is worshiped as an incarnation of Shakti in the form of mighty sword. This spectacle will be celebrated on Friday, followed by Varalakshmi Vratam. On Saturday, the deity will be taken in a grand procession through the arterial roads on a giant chariot.
On Sunday night, the event will draw to a close with the Agnigunda Pravesam, where the devout will walk on embers to fulfil their vows. Interestingly, after this ritual gets over, the giant sword, which remains balanced on its pointed edge, slightly tilts towards the sanctum sanctorum.
Local legend has it that when the people were afflicted by a mysterious disease, the elders on the word of a mendicant found an idol of Goddess Draupadi in an old well, and built a small temple, offering her prayers. Gradually, the impact of the disease reportedly vanished. In later years, a full-fledged temple replaced the small structure in the heart of Puttur.
The Puttur police have deployed about 200 personnel for bandobast duty. The annual exhibition and shandy at the temple zone attracts a huge crowd.
