Hyderabad: City soaks in saffron as denzens celebrate Hanuman Jayanthi with pomp

Hyderabad: The city roads reverberated with the slogans of 'Jai Sri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman' with people of all ages from children to old aged including women actively participated in the Veer Hanuman Vijay Yatra carrying Saffron flags on the occasion of Lord Hanuman Janmotsav on Thursday.

The Shobha Yatra was organised by the Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The Shobha Yatra started after yagam and pooja at Gowliguda Ram Mandir at around 12 noon. The young women in traditional attire on two wheelers with Saffron flags in their hands and raising slogans of 'Jai Sri Ram', 'Ram Lakshman Jaanki Jai bolo Hanuman Ki' were attractions in the shobha Yatra.

The Bajrang Dal leaders who perform Hanuman deeksha carried silver idol of Lord Hanuman leading the rally followed by thousands of two wheelers with saffron and Indian flags. The vehicles carried giant idols of Lord Shri Ram and Lord Shri Hanuman. There was a vehicle carrying Punganuru breed of cows, which attracted passersby.

The rally reached the Koti Andhra Bank crossroads at around 2 pm where there was a mass recitation of Hanuman Chalisa by all those who participated in the Shobha Yatra.

It took five hours for the Shobha Yatra to reach Narayanguda. The youth were seen dancing to the tunes of devotional songs on DJs even as spells of heavy rains. The rains could not dither the children coming with their grandparents from dancing as the rally was peacefully passing through the dedicated route. The police personnel were also seen on two wheelers guarding the rally and ensuring no untoward incident takes place. About 10,000 police personnel were involved in the security.

Another big rally which started from Karmanghat Hanuman Mandir passing through Malakpet, Chadarghat, Koti joined the main procession at Koti Women's College. The philanthropist organisations provided food, biscuits packets, sweets, butter milk and water packets to those who were part of the rally.

Welcome stages were set up at different place across the rally route. The rally passed through RTC Cross Roads, Kavadiguda, Bible House, Mahankali Temple, Paradise and culminated at Tadbund Veeranjaneya Swamy temple.

Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh was arrested by police when he was trying to attend the Shobha Yatra. The City Police Commissioner CV Anand said that it was a preventive arrest to ensure there is no violence in the Shobha yatra.

Raja Singh was involved in hate speech during Shri Ram Navami Shoba yatra and the police in a precautionary move arrested Raja Singh.