Arrangements in full swing for Kuppam Ganga Jatara finale

A large number of devotees expected to take part in the festival

Tri-State junction Kuppam is spruced up for the finale of the 16-day Tirupati Gangamamba Jatara, with procession and immersion of the deity scheduled on May 21 and 22. Coming under the Endowments Department, the mass festive event draws a huge crowd of over three lakh devotees from all over Kuppam and Palamaner Assembly constituencies, and from several areas of north-western Tamil Nadu and bordering Karnataka.

The history of the ‘jatara’ dates back to over two and half centuries. Local legend has it that Lord Venkateswara was upset with his sister Gangamma eating corpses at the burial ground. In order to prevent the loathsome habit of his sister, he chopped off a cheek of her, which fell in the surrounding areas, including Tirupati, Chittoor, Punganur, Kuppam, Vaniyambadi and Gudiyattam.

To mark this event, the annual ‘jatara’ is celebrated in Kuppam. Several years ago, the stone located at the local burial ground and was considered the idol of Goddess Shakti was shifted to the heart of the town, where a temple was built.

The procession of the deity’s head (representing Goddess Shakti) will commence from the local temple around 7 a.m. on Tuesday. The procession will witness sacrifice of thousands of livestock through crowded streets of Kuppam. The outstation devotees have already arrived in Kuppam, making arrangements for ‘shamianas’ on the outskirts. Cultural activities have been attracting crowds since a week.

The procession of the deity’s head is considered so hysterical that the event will pass through all the streets for more than 24 hours, and end at the temple on Wednesday morning.

After the procession, the deity’s head will be adorned on torso inside the temple on Wednesday morning. Only once in a year, the deity will have head on her torso. After giving ‘viswaroopa darshan’, the head will be immersed in the village tank nearby around midnight.

Tight security

Meanwhile, the ‘agnigundam’ ritual (walking on fire embers) would be performed on Monday night, continuing till Tuesday morning. Over 500 police personnel are deployed to prevent any untoward turn of events at the jatara. Kuppam Circle Inspector G.T. Naidu is overseeing the arrangements.