Devotees thronged the Ramateertham and Ramanarayanam temples on the auspicious occasion of the Sri Rama Navami after a gap of two years. The festive buzz was back at these temples that wore a deserted look during the festival in the last two years owing to the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government, Minister-designate Botcha Satyanarayana and his wife Botcha Jhansi offered ‘pattu vastram’ and pearls to the deities at the Ramateertham temple. The Sita-Rama kalyanam was performed in a traditional manner.
Vizianagaram MP B. Chandrasekhar, Collector A. Surya Kumari and other officials took part in the celebrations as the district administration made elaborate arrangements at the temple located 12 km from Vizianagaram city.
The occasion was celebrated on a grand scale at the Ramanarayanam temple which was constructed in the form of Lord Rama’s bow. Built 20 years ago, the temple shot into limelight with its unique planning and depiction of the epic Ramayanam in the form of pictures. Hundreds of devotees from Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Parvatipuram and other parts of the State participated in the wedding of the deities performed by chief priest of TTD temple in Visakhapatnam, Gopinambala Seshacharyulu. Temple trustee Narayanam Srinivas made elaborate arrangements for the festival. A laser show depicting the important events of Ramayana was also organised.
“With the blessings of Lord Rama, we have overcome the COVID-19 threat. We are anticipating a large number of devotees now. We request people to bring their children to Ramanarayanam temple where they can learn about Lord Rama’s sacrifice and life history,” said Mr. Srinivas.
