Siva kalyanotsavam, the celestial wedding of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvathi, was performed with religious fervour and gaiety at the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Devasthanam at Vemulawada in Karimnagar district on Sunday.
Kalyanotsavam celebrations began on Saturday and the celestial wedding was performed on Sunday after temple priests conducted special rituals such as the dwajarahonam .
Rs.1.1 crore in ‘dowry’
As part of the ritual, temple chief priest Shankaraiah quoted a dowry of Rs.1.1 crore to Lord Siva for the marriage.
Temple executive officer D. Rajeshwar presented silk vastram s to the presiding deities.
The Siva parvathulu (men and women who dress up as brides of Siva) also married the Lord after the wedding ritual. They carried the trishul (trident) and the thalambralu (rice mixed with turmeric), which they showered on the presiding deities, before declaring themselves married to Lord Shiva.
The temple town was packed with several thousand devotees from various parts of the State, following which the temple cancelled traditional rituals such as kode mokku . On Sunday night, a procession of the presiding deities was taken out in the town.
