ELURU: The annual Ammavari Jathara (Teertham) of Peddintlamma Temple, Kolletikota, located on an island ecosystem in the heart of Kolleru Lake, will be celebrated on a grand and traditional scale from February 18 to March 3. Celebrated every year from Phalguna Suddha Padyami to Pournami, the historic Jathara is considered one of the most important folk religious festivals of the Kolleru region and draws lakhs of devotees from Eluru and West Godavari districts.
The temple is among the oldest in the State, with worship of Goddess Peddintlamma believed to date back to the period of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty of Vengi. The most important ritual of the festival, the celestial wedding of Jaladurga and Gokarneswara will be performed on the night of February 28 with traditional rituals.
Standing nearly nine feet tall in a Veerasana posture on the historic Kota Dibba (fort mound) in the middle of Kolleru Lake, Goddess Peddintlamma continues to be worshipped even after the disappearance of the ancient forts that once protected the shrine. Unlike the usual tradition of one village-one deity, devotees from 44 Kolleru mounds across Eluru and West Godavari districts worship Peddintlamma as their family deity, underlining the deep-rooted cultural and spiritual importance of the Kolleru Jathara that has been celebrated uninterruptedly for generations.
In a unique cultural blend reflecting regional traditions, the Telangana Bonalu tradition has been followed at Kolletikota since 2020. Bonalu offerings are brought in a Prabala procession from Pandiripalligudem, about two kilometres from the temple. Devotees carry offerings in seven pots, including Bonalu, turmeric, vermilion, and present them to the Goddess.