The famous week-long Tirupati Gangamma Jatara in Kuppam town, where the borders of three States—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu meet—is all set to take off on May 17, with the traditional practice of ‘chatimpu’ (public announcement).
Having missed the celebrations during the last three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers are gearing up to celebrate the festival with grandeur this year.
The legend
The history of the Jatara dates back over three centuries. Local legend states that Lord Venkateswara was upset with his sister Gangamma eating corpses at the burial ground. To prevent the loathsome habit of his sister, he chopped off her cheek, which fell in the surrounding areas, including Tirupati, Chittoor, Punganur, Kuppam of Andhra Pradesh, and Vaniyambadi and Gudiyattam of Tamil Nadu.
A stone was located at the local burial ground in Kuppam, considered the idol of the Goddess Shakti. It was shifted to the centre of the town where it was consecrated, and a temple was built in the name of the Goddess.
Grand procession
The processional deity worshipped as Goddess Muthu Mariyamman will be processioned on the various ‘celestial’ vehicles in the town for five days from May 18. This would be followed by the ‘Agnigundam’ ritual, wherein thousands of devotees walk on burning embers to fulfil their vow to the Goddess.
A highlight of the event is the procession with only the Goddess’s head and the removal of the veil on the deity’s eyes. The procession would pass across every household in Kuppam town which would take over 30 hours to complete.
Animal sacrifice
During the hysterical procession, thousands of livestock, including cattle, sheep, and poultry, would be sacrificed to the deity, and roads turn red with blood. Each year, the police have a difficult time controlling the hysteric crowd.
A fire engine would be deployed behind the procession to clean the blood on the road. The festival would conclude on May 23 with the ‘viswaroopa’ darshan of the Goddess.
Every year, the jatara draws over three lakh devotees from several parts of the bordering areas at the tri-state junction amidst tight police bandobast.
