HANAMKONDA: The Shakhambhari festival was celebrated at the historic Bhadrakali temple on the auspicious day of Ashadha Pournami on Sunday. The deity was adorned with about five tons of vegetables and fruits brought from Hyderabad to mark the occasion of Shakhambhari, which honours the Shakambari avatar of Goddess Bhadrakali.
The annual celebration commences with the onset of Ashadha Masam in the Hindu calendar. Each day leading up to Sunday, the presiding deity Bhadrakali Ammavaru was adorned with different vegetables, culminating in her depiction as Shakambari Devi on the final day of the festival. On Monday, a special pooja, Sahasra Kalasabhishekam, with 1,000 ‘kalashas’, along with a ‘teppotsavam’ (boat ride) of the Goddess and her consort, will be conducted.
The festival signifies Goddess Shakhambhari Devi as Mother Earth, symbolising the provider of sustenance and abundance, as ‘shakha’ denotes vegetables and ‘ambari’ signifies one who bears.