Vijayawada, July 23, 2013: A new trend of propitiating gods has set in. The 89 temples across Krishna District are adopting new practices and traditions, which hitherto were restricted to that of goddess Kanaka Durga. Apart from Sakambari festival, the managements plan to perform chandi homam.

The concept of organising Sakambari festival began in 2007 at Indrakeeladri. Slowly it spread to other temples. Now even Saibaba temples in the city are being decorated with vegetables to celebrate Sakambari festival.

Many varieties of fruits and flowers are also used as ornaments to decorate the deities. The ‘Sakambari Utsavam’ is being celebrated to propitiate the presiding deities for good rains, bountiful harvest and copious yields of vegetables and ensure that there was no dearth of irrigation water.

The devotees and traders are donating vegetables and fruits in good quantities. Kanaka Durga temple received about 20 tonnes of vegetables for the sakambari festival this year. “The vegetables donations are three times more compared to last year. The temple is flooded with vegetables. The patronage is ever increasing,” says Temple Executive Officer K. Prabhakara Srinivas.

The fruit donations also surged this year with pineapples, apples, oranges, grapes, water melons being a few of them, he said. Vijayawada Wholesale Vegetable Merchants Welfare Association K. Buchaiah said that they were donating to all the temples that were celebrating sakambari festival. “We have sent about 10 tonnes on first day to Indrakeeladri temple. A load of vegetables would be sent to Morapudi temple and donation to Tirumala is a regular feature. Some people buy in large quantities to donate in the temple,” he explains. Penuganchiprolu Tirupatamma temple also will organise the festival this year. Temple EO N. Vijaykumar said that they had decided to make it an annual affair.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 23, 2013.