Nizamabad, July 29, 2013: Residents of the town celebrated ‘voora panduga’ (village festival) with pomp and religious fervour in the town on Sunday.

A number of people, women and men, the young and old alike, participated in the procession of images of village goddesses taken from Khilla to different places.

The festival, being celebrated under the aegis of Sarva Samaj, comprising heads of all castes since 1935 in the town, marks a large number of animal sacrifices. Goats and sheep were slaughtered on roads and street junctions since early morning.

People believe that with the celebration of ‘voora panduga’, village goddesses bless them with a good harvest.

After the performance of pooja, the procession began and proceeded through Gajulpet, Pedda Bazar, Pochammagalli, Phulong and other places. Local MLA Yendala Lakshminarayana, in the capacity of president of Sarva Samaj, offered prayers.

People waited in long queues to go underneath the cradle carrying the images of village goddesses everywhere.

They believe that this can give them health and wealth all through the year.

Sari (cooked with rice and viscera of animals) is taken in big baskets to Dubba, Yellammagutta and Vinayaknagar.

The wooden images taken in the procession will be installed at temples of village goddesses at different places in the town. Police led by Deputy SP S. Anilkumar made tight security arrangements to face any untoward incident on the occasion.

Source: The Hindu, July 29, 2013