TIRUPATI: Villagers of A Rangampet near Chandragiri mandal, next to Naravaripalle, are preparing for Jallikattu, a cattle festival. A Rangampet still follows the ancient tradition of performing puja to the cattle and adorning them for Sankranti, the harvesting festival. After performing puja to livestock in the village, the Lord is worshipped and a goat is sacrificed. Later, the celestial paste ‘poli’ is applied on cattle. It is believed that it protects the cattle from evil powers such as bacterial infections and communicable diseases.
After that, the cattle is offered food and left on the road for a free run. To witness the cattle pride run on the streets of Rangampet, people from across the State and neighbouring States visit the village. The police made tight security arrangements in the village in view of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to his native village Naravaripalle, which borders A Rangampet, for Sankranti. According to villagers, they are conducting Jallikattu for the well-being of their cattle and not to harm them.