The Vizianagaram district administration is making elaborate arrangements for Sri Pydimamba temple’s celestial procession, Sirimanotsavam, to be celebrated on October 19 this year. ‘Tholellu utsavam’, will also be celebrated on October 18, one day before the procession in which normally two lakh people participate every year.
With the spread of COVID-19, devotees were not directly allowed to participate in the procession. The government has not yet taken any decision over the participation of the people in the procession although it had conducted a meeting with representatives of various organisations.
Meanwhile, the temple authorities have been busy in making arrangements for the festival. They identified the huge tree in Chandakapeta of Denkada mandal and it will be brought to Vizianagaram on Saturday after performing puja in a traditional manner. The identification of tree is given a lot of importance in festival arrangements as it it is treated as a ‘Siri manu’ on which the temple priest would sit and bless the people during the procession. BJP Vizianagaram Mahila Morcha president Gandikota Santhi urged the government to allow devotees to participate in the procession while making them to follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. “Entire business activity is allowed in Vizianagaram. It is not fair to stop the people from offering prayers to the local goddess Sri Pydimamba. The government should respect the sentiments of Hindus who were already offended with the ban on Vinayaka Chaviti in public places,” she added. The officials said that there was no restriction on the visit of the temple and offering of ‘traditional ghatams’ in the festival days which started two weeks ago. They indicated that the government likely to celebrate the Sirimanotsavam without direct participation of devotees.
