HANAMKONDA: The historic three-month-long Inavolu Mallanna Jatara began on a grand note at the Mallikarjuna Swamy temple in Inavolu village of Wardhannapet Mandal in Hanamkonda district on Sunday with a large number of devotees visiting the temple to make offerings.
When TNIE visited the jatara on Sunday, the devotees, including those from Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, were seen erecting temporary tents all around the temple to camp before offering their prayers. The entire temple and the surroundings were lit for the occasion.
However, numerous people faced inconvenience due to lack of facilities. The devotees, after taking a holy bath, proceeded for darshan of Mallikarjuna Swamy. Water taps for bathing were arranged for the devotees, however, no changing rooms were set up for women.
Thousands of devotees waited for hours in queue lines for darshan and the officials failed to arrange drinking water facilities for devotees.
Meanwhile, the Hanamkonda district administration, Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC), and Endowment authorities claimed that they have made elaborate arrangements for the devotees.
Nearly 10 lakh devotees are expected to visit the temple during the jatara. Around 15 lakh people usually visit the temple from Sankranti in January to Ugadi in April.
On the first day of jatara on Bhogi, priests performed special rituals and decorated the presiding deities Mallikarjuan Swamy, Golla Kethamma, and Balija Medalamma in new cloth. The celestial wedding of Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy, the incarnation of Lord Shiva, and his consorts Golla Kethamma and Balija Medalamma would be the highlight of the jatara.
The Inavolu temple is primarily patronised by Yadava, Golla, Kuruma, and Balija communities. Devotees use turmeric as the main offering to the deity and also perform Bonalu with rice cooked with milk and jaggery. They also prepare a rangoli called Patnam as an offering to the deities.
Speaking to TNIE, Warangal Commissionerate East Zone DCP P Ravindar said that tight security arrangements have been made at the jatara. As many as 450 police personnel, including She Teams, are deployed at the temple for the first four days of jatara.