VIJAYAWADA: The historic Gunadala Lourdes Matha Shrine has been beautifully decorated and is fully prepared for the 102nd annual Gunadala Matha Mahotsavam, starting from February 9 to 11, one of the largest Christian congregations in Andhra Pradesh.
The three-day festival formally commenced at 7 am on Monday amid prayers and religious rituals. The Gunadala Matha Feast, which began in 1923, holds immense religious significance and symbolises communal harmony, as devotees from different faiths participate every year, making it one of the most revered annual religious events in the state.
The spiritually significant Gunadala Hill, the shrine premises, Bishop Grassi High School grounds, and surrounding areas have been illuminated with decorative lighting, creating a festive atmosphere. Anticipating the arrival of lakhs of devotees from across the country, the festival organising committee has made extensive arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the celebrations.
To manage heavy pilgrim inflow and traffic congestion, barricades have been erected at key locations. Officials from the Vijayawada city police, revenue, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), health, fire services, and other government departments are coordinating to provide essential facilities such as medical camps, drinking water, sanitation, fire safety, and crowd management.
As a part of the festival, devotees will have a darshan of Our Lady of Lourdes atop Gunadala Hill and seek her blessings. Special prayer services and religious programmes will be held on February 9, 10, and 11 at the Bishop Grassi High School grounds.
The APSRTC and South Central Railway have also made special travel arrangements to facilitate the movement of pilgrims during the festival period. The Mahotsavam will be formally inaugurated on Monday at 7 am by Bishop Joseph Raja Rao, along with Vicar General Fr. Meshapam Gabriel, Monsignor Fr. Muvvala Prasad, Shrine Rector Fr. Yeleti William Jayaraju, Social Service Centre Director Fr. Thota Sunil Raju, Education Desk Director Fr. Kolakani Marianna, Procurator Fr. G Kiran, and other diocesan priests.
The city police commissioner, SV Rajashekhara Babu, reviewed bandobast measures, crowd management plans, parking facilities and surrounding areas to ensure the smooth conduct of the three-day religious event, which is expected to attract a large number of devotees on Sunday afternoon.
As a part of security management measures, extensive bandobast arrangements have been made using modern technology, and CCTV cameras have been installed at all critical points for continuous monitoring of the festival proceedings.