Fervour marks Aadi Krithika in Chittoor

Over one lakh devotees from Chittoor leave for Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu

Devotees carrying ‘Kavadi’ at Nagari in Chittoor district on their way to Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu on Saturday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

The Aadi Krithika festival on Saturday has brought in festive mood in several parts of Chittoor district, close to the Tamil Nadu border.The Aadi Krithika festival on Saturday has brought in festive mood in several parts of Chittoor district, close to the Tamil Nadu border.

The festival occurs in the month of Aadi (as per the Tamil almanac) and is an important occasion at all the temples of Lord Subramanya Swamy.

Over one lakh devotees from Chittoor district left for Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu carrying Kavadi (a semicircular wooden with offerings to the Lord tied at both ends) on their shoulders and trekking the 365 steps of the hillock there.

Several groups of devotees were seen going on foot to reach Tiruttani from Puttur, Nagari, Karveti Nagaram, Nindra and Vijayapuram mandals.

The APSRTC plied special buses from Srikalahasti, Tirupati and Chittoor to Tiruttani and Palani in Tamil Nadu.

In Chittoor and Tirupati districts, the temples of Lord Muruga at Srikalahasti, Pakala and Palamaner were crowded with local devotees, who performed special pujas.

In Tirupati, hundreds of devotees thronged the Kapilatheertham and offered prayers to Lord Muruga.

Aadi Krithika is celebrated to symbolise the victory of good over evil when Lord Muruga killed the demon Surapadma. Later, the Lord reposed to a tranquil mood and started showering boons to his devotees.

In Ongole, ‘Velkavadi Mahotsavam’ was celebrated with religious fervour and enthusiasm on Saturday.

Devotees, who had been observing fast for the last 41 days, carried decorated ‘kavadis’ of various sizes and shapes with peacock feathers and bronze bells and offered special prayers to Lord Balasubramanya seeking health, wealth and prosperity. Some of the devotees pierced their tongue, cheek and other parts of the body with spears and carried ‘Velkavadi’ from the Patha Sivalayam at Keshavswamypet here to Skandagiri, the hill temple of Lord Kumaraswamy, to mark ‘Aashadam Kirthika’.

Chants rented the air as the devotees pulled a flower-bedecked chariot of Lord Shanmugha, with His consorts Valli and Devasena, on the occasion.

The festival is held during the ‘Dakshinayana Punyakalam’ when the Sun transits from the northern hemisphere to the southern, festival committee member T. Madhu said. According to ‘Skanda Purana’, the divine child Balamuruga was raised at ‘Saravana Poigai’ by a group of women.