Gaiety marks Sri Rama Navami

Kurnool: Sri Rama Navami was celebrated with gaiety and religious fervour in the district on Friday. The celestial wedding of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita was performed on a grand scale at Sri Rama temples to mark the occasion. Braving the scorching summer, thousands of devotees witnessed the divine wedding. A colourful Shobha Yatra was taken out in the city to mark Sri Rama Navami.

A large number of devotees participated in the yatra. The celestial wedding was also celebrated at Rama Navami pandals set up in colonies. Rama Navami festivities at Rambhotla temple in the city attracted a good number of devotees. The celestial wedding was also performed on a grand scale at Nannur village.

Hundreds of devotees attended the divine wedding to seek the blessings of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita. A free mass marriage programme was organised at Sitarama Swamy temple at Tuggali under the aegis of Telugu Desam Party BC Cell leader Tuggali Nagendra. About 35 couples hailing from poor families entered into wedlock on the auspicious day.

Nagendra has been organising the free mass marriage programme for the past 18 years for the benefit of poor girls and boys hailing from the faction-ridden and drought-hit villages. A prominent TDP leader in Pattikonda Assembly constituency represented by Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishnamurthy, Nagendra is striving to end factionalism by taking up development activities in the drought-hit villages.

He presented new clothes to the brides and bridegrooms, besides bearing the entire marriage expenses. Former Minister TG Venkatesh, Anantapur Zilla Parishad Chairman D Chaman, former MLA Linga Reddy, TDP leaders KE Pratap, KE Shyam Babu and others who attended the mass marriage programme, blessed the newlywed couples.