VIJAYAWADA: Devotees in a good number thronged Lord Rama and Anjaneya Swamy temples across the district on Sunday to witness the celestial wedding of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita on the occasion of Ramanavami.
Right from dawn, a festive mood prevailed in several localities with the playing of devotional songs at pandals erected for celebrating the festival almost after two years of the pandemic.
At Besant Road, the city’s one of the oldest festival committees performed the celestial wedding for the processional deities of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita at Kodanda Ramalayam on a grand note. Rituals were performed amid chanting of vedic hymns and ‘mangalavadyalu’ at the specially decorated kalyana mandapam.
Priests performed the rituals at 12 pm on punarvasu nakshatra yukta abhijit lagna pushkaramsa. Central MLA Malladi Vishnu offered silk robes and ‘mutyala talambralu’ the processional deities on the occasion.
Besides that, the festival committee and individuals had set up temporary stalls to distribute panakam, a drink mixed with jaggery and spices and vadapappu for passers-by at several places. Meanwhile, the celestial wedding of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita was also performed in a few residential colonies and apartments at Satyanarayanapuram, One-Town, Benz Circle, Patamata, Krishna Lanka and Dasanjaneya Swamy temple Machavaram.