KHAMMAM: The celestial wedding of Lord Sri Rama and Goddess Sita at the Mithila premises of the Bhadrachalam Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple drew devotees of all ages on Friday, with the event marked by grandeur and spiritual fervour.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accompanied by his wife, offered pattu vastralu and muthyala talambralu to the deities on behalf of the state government. Arriving in Bhadrachalam by a special helicopter, he also performed a special puja at the temple and later laid the foundation stone for the first phase of development works worth Rs 351 crore.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Thummala Nageswara Rao, Konda Surekha, V Srihari, MP P Balaram Naik, local MLA Tellam Venkata Rao, DGP Shivadhar Reddy and other officials attended the ceremony.
The rituals began early in the morning with Suprabhata Seva, followed by offerings and abhishekam to the presiding deities. The kalyanam of the Dhruva Murthis was first conducted in seclusion inside the temple, after which the Utsava Murthis were adorned and taken in a grand palanquin procession to the Mithila venue amid Vedic chants and cultural performances.
The ceremony commenced with Kalyana Sankalpam, followed by Vishvaksena Puja and Punyahavachanam. A sacred darbha thread was tied around Goddess Sita’s waist, while protective threads were tied to both deities. A golden Yajnopavita was adorned, followed by the ritual of Kanyadanam. At the auspicious Abhijit Muhurtham around noon, the Jeelakarra-Bellam ritual was performed.
While the state government made elaborate arrangements and local residents distributed pulihora, buttermilk, drinking water and panakam to devotees, lakhs of pilgrims from across the country faced hardship due to lack of adequate accommodation.
First phase works before Pushkaralu: Surekha
Meanwhile, Endowments Minister Konda Surekha said the first phase of development works will be completed before the upcoming Godavari Pushkaralu. Speaking after attending the Sri Sitarama Kalyana Mahotsavam, she said the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, has taken up temple development after completing necessary land acquisition with support from the deputy chief minister and others.
She added that the Endowments department is working to complete the ongoing works before the Pushkaralu, while the second phase will be taken up subsequently, with the aim of completing the overall project before the Krishna Pushkaralu.