The Pydithalli Ammavari Jatara in Vizianagaram will run from October 26 to November 11. Devotees have already begun the mandala deeksha. By tradition, the Sirimanotsavam is held on the first Tuesday after Vijayadashami.
Schedule
- October 26 (Monday): Tholellu Utsavam
- October 27 (Tuesday): Sirimanotsavam
- November 3 (Tuesday): Teppotsavam
- November 7 (Saturday): Kalasa Jyothi procession
- November 10 (Tuesday): Uyyala Kambala Utsavam
- November 11 (Wednesday): Chandi Homam, closing the festival
Tholellu and the Sirimanu
On Tholellu, farmers place the seeds for their fields before the Goddess and pray for good rain and harvests. Women carry decorated pots and silk saris on their heads to the temple to fulfil their vows. On Sirimanotsavam day, the priest sits at the tip of the Sirimanu, a pole about 60 feet long made from a tamarind branch. Devotees believe the Goddess is present in the priest at that moment and blesses them. The Sirimanu goes round three times between the Moodu Lanterns junction and the fort, while members of the Vizianagaram royal family watch from the fort bastion.
Devotees believe that about a month before the festival, the Goddess reveals to the priest in a dream where the Sirimanu tree stands. After the festival, the pole is cut into small pieces and given out as prasadam, which devotees keep in their home shrines and fields.
Security
Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy and SP R. Damodar inspected barricades, queue lines and control rooms along the route. They ordered CCTV monitoring of crowds, steps to stop devotees from climbing old buildings, and measures to prevent a stampede. Given cyclone warnings, officials will track the weather and keep backup plans, along with medical camps, ambulances and fire engines on site.
