NELLORE: In a vibrant display of devotion and tradition, thousands of devotees exchanged rotis at the Bara Shaheed Dargah located on the banks of Nellore Cheruvu in Dargamitta, during the annual traditional ‘Rottela Panduga’ (roti festival). After paying their respects at the tombs of the martyrs in the dargah, devotees engaged in the heartwarming tradition of exchanging rotis in lieu of their fulfilled desires, as a symbol of sharing and blessings.
The five-day festival commenced on Saturday with Sanda Mali, while scheduled with Sandal (URS) on Sunday, Rottela Panduga on Monday, Tahhail Fatiha on Tuesday and Ending Farmani on Wednesday. Scores of devotees from various parts of Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring States, flocked to the Nellore tank, also known as ‘Swarnala Cheruvu’, located close to the Bara Shaheed Dargah, and exchanged rotis. The devotees packed their rotis and named them after the desires of individuals, such as higher education, prosperity, own house, marriage, job, money, children, foreign visit and others. Before offering the packets, they pay obeisance at the dargah to the tombs of 12 martyrs.
“I have visited the festival for the first time and offered prayers at the dargah. My wish is to get a job. I also received a job roti at Swarnala Cheruvu Ghat. I would surely visit the festival next year,” said Anand, a devotee from Bengaluru.
While Swarnala Cheruvu is filled to the brim, the authorities have made brisk arrangements near the tank, to enable the devotees to exchange rotis by standing in the water. CCTV cameras have been set up on the dargah premises and teams have been deployed to monitor the round-the-clock at the makeshift control room. Signboards have been erected at various places for the benefit of pilgrims visiting Nellore.
Keeping in view past experiences, civic amenities have been improved to cater for the needs of large crowds. The municipal corporation has divided the spot into seven zones i.e. water stalls, toilets, medical camps, shops, darga, parking places and Swarnala Cheruvu, and deployed 4,908 staff, who will work in shifts for the smooth conduct of the festival. Expecting a footfall of around 10 to 15 lakh devotees at the festival, District Collector M Harinarayanan beefed up the security at the venue.