One of the biggest religious fairs in Telangana, Inavolu Mallikarjuna Swamy Jatara, got under way here on Friday at Inavolu village in Wardhannapet mandal.
It would go on till the third week of March. The celestial wedding of the presiding deities - Mallikarjuna Swamy, incarnation of lord Siva, and His consorts Golla Kethamma and Balija Medalamma - would be highlight of the jatara. The temple has the patronage of Yadava, Golla, Kuruma and Balija communities and devotees from these communities throng the temple in large numbers from different parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka during the jatara.
Devotees who attend the festivities use ‘bandari’ (turmeric) as the main offering to the deity. They also carry newly-harvested rice cooked with milk and jaggery in earthen pots as an offering to the deity. Some even make animal sacrifices. The tiny village comes to life with hundreds of thousands of devotees erecting temporary tents around the temple to camp for a day or two before offering their prayers.
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During nights, a caravan of caparisoned bullock carts, installed with the idols would be taken out in a procession around the temple while people representing their villages raise slogans hailing the presiding deity. The temple remains open even at night during the jatara.
Those devotees who finish having the darshan of the presiding deity would retire to spend their day making merry. They cook non-vegetarian dishes and gather in groups savouring liquor, mostly the locally-available toddy. A majority of women join them too while youth indulge in several entertainment programmes.
For the occasion, the temple and its surroundings have been beautifully decorated. The Endowments Department has constructed toilets and has dug up bore-wells. Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari and MLA A. Ramesh were expected to visit the temple.
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