NELLORE: The famous 'rottela pandaga' or the exchange of 'wish rotis', which is a decades-old practice held on the banks of the Swarnala tank in the premises of the Barashaheed Dargah, will not be held this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Nellore district administration decided to cancel the exchanging of rotis in the premises of the dargah as part of preventive measures against COVID-19.
"Due to the COVID-19 protocol, there will be no exchanging of rotis this year. We have decided to conduct ‘Gandamahotsavam,’ the main fete of the festival, only with 20 Muslim elders and committee members of the fest," said District Revenue Officer M V Ramana.
The festival was to have been celebrated from August 30 to September 3 this year. It is considered a ‘festival of wishes’ where people exchange various kinds of rotis.
Every year, around 10 lakh devotees from across the country and abroad visit the dargah, take a holy bath in the tank close to it, offer prayers at the tombs and then exchange rotis according to tradition.
Considering its importance, the Andhra Pradesh government had declared it a state festival in 2015 and has been providing necessary funds for organizing the event.
Poleramma Jathara also cancelled
Meanwhile, the popular Poleramma Jathara of Venkatagiri which attracts thousands of devotees across the state has also been cancelled this year, as part of COVID-19 protocol. The sacred Jathara was held by the Venkatagiri Rajahs in 1919 for the first time and has continued for the last 100 years.
Poleramma is a village goddess to whom people offer prayers during auspicious days expecting safety from diseases, effect of any evil forces and spread of epidemics. It is a very popular event in the district.