Yerracondapalem (Prakasam District), July 20, 2013:  Picturesque Palanka Kshetra, a sleepy village deep inside the Nallamala forest, was agog with religious activity as pilgrims from far and near thronged the hill temple for a tribal religious festival on Friday.

Coinciding with ‘Toli Ekadasi’, thousands of devotees from districts on the banks of river Krishna visited the temple constructed by the Vijayanagar emperor, Sri Krishnadevaraya, on his return after defeating the Gajapathi kings in the medieval period.

The descendants of chieftains, Boda Venkatapati Naidu and Nalagati Pedda Thimma Naidu, led the religious congregation for the health, wealth and prosperity of the people.

Thanks to the good rains, the pilgrims had a holy dip in the ‘Palanka Kunta’ before offering worship to Lord Veerabhadraswamy, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, for progeny and to get rid of diseases. While the Forest Department personnel ensured safe passage to the pilgrims, the Yerragondapalem senior public health officer, M.Srinivasa Rao, distributed medicines to prevent outbreak of vector-borne and water-borne diseases.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 20, 2013.