Hundreds of devotees witnessed the celestial wedding of Sri Sita Rama Swamy performed on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami festival at various temples and pandals in the city on Saturday.
The deities were decorated with silk clothes and the ‘kalyanam’ was performed amid ‘ Veda mantras’ and ‘ mela talams’
The idols of Lord Rama and His consort Sita were decorated with flowers and at exactly 12 noon, Abhijit Lagnam , the celestial wedding was performed at places like Besant Road. ‘ Jeelakarra bellam’ was put on the heads of the deities and the mangalasutram was tied with scores of devotees witnessing .
A rich devotional ambience prevailed in the temples and temporarily erected pandals as the festival was celebrated on a grand scale. Several Rama and Anjaneya Swamy temples in the city reverberated with the chants of ‘Jai Sri Rama', ‘Kodanda Rama', and ‘Janaki Rama'.
The festivities were organised at Ramalayam at Satyanarayanapuram, Besant Road, and One Town, Kodanda Rama temple at Patamata and Sri Abhaya Anjanaya Swamy temple on Ghat Road in Vijayawada. Tens of devotees witnessed the celestial wedding in pandals put up at places like Besant Road, RTC Colony etc.
The festive mood began in the early hours of the day with the playing of devotional songs at the pandals. The temples and streets alike echoed with songs like ‘ Sri Sita Ramula Kalyanamu Chutamu Rarandi’, ‘Kalyana Vaibhogame, Sri Sita Ramula Kalyana Vaibhogame’ and the film songs of ‘ Lavakusa ’ and other movies. The youngsters threw themselves wholeheartedly into preparation of prasadam , including the traditional ‘ vadapappu ’ and ‘ panakam ’.
The delicious ‘ paanakam ', a drink mixed with jaggery and spices like pepper, was served to passers-by at several places. The temples managements distributed vadapappu and panakam liberally. The devotees savoured ‘panakam’ which is the customary delight of this festival and invoked the Lord’s blessings. Various devotional programmes were organised on the festive occasion. Besides, markets bustled with activity as people went on a shopping spree.
