Devotees will miss watching the celestial wedding of Lord Rama with His Consort Sita in person at the historic Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam on April 21.
The threat of a possible second wave of COVID-19 eclipsed the annual mega annual fete of Vasantha Paksha Tiru Kalyana Brahmotsavams from April 13 to 27.
Like last year, the celestial wedding will be out of bounds for devotees in Bhadradri temple following the decision of the State government to celebrate the fete in a simple manner in the presence of a limited number of essential temple staff.
A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting conducted by Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy with senior officials of the Endowments and other departments in Hyderabad on Saturday night, sources said.
Devotees may find some solace in watching live telecast of the celestial wedding on television, the arrangements for which are being chalked out by the temple authorities, sources added.
Temple executive Officer B Shivaji said government restrictions on public gatherings during the upcoming events would be strictly followed to protect public health.
The traditional ritual of preparing Talambralu got under way in a customary manner in conformity to safety protocols on Sunday.
Money would be refunded to the devotees, who booked sector-wise tickets for the event, the EO said.
