Tirupati, September 11, 2013: Ganesh idols at several pandals in Tirupati are attracting more eyeballs than expected. One of the star attraction is ‘Anantha Padmanabha Vinayakudu’ which is an exact replica of Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy idol in Tiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

The idol-makers worked for more than 20 days to finish the idol with majestic dimensions of ‘25 X 25’ feet. It was erected at Thummalagunta on the city outskirts, at the behest of former TUDA Chairman Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy.

People who wanted to be eco-friendly made efforts to fashion Ganesha out of clay. Some idol-makers have replaced the celestial vehicle of Lord Ganesha (mooshika or mouse) with Nandi (Bull), Sarpa (serpent), lotus etc., though many took care not to stray away from tradition.

Visitors to Tirupati are greeted by a dark-coloured Vinayaka near the railway station. Whatever might be the form, everyone seeks the blessings of the ‘remover of obstacles’.

While the immersion of deities is carried out on the ninth day in Hyderabad and elsewhere, it is done on the third day here, that is Wednesday. To facilitate the smooth conduct of the immersion ceremomy, ‘Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Mahotsava Committee’ has released a route map for the processions to be undertaken from various points in the city. The processions will begin at 3 pm and culminate at Vinayaka Sagar on Karakambadi Road. For better and safe viewing of the ‘Nimajjana mahotsavam’, the venue will be sufficiently illuminated and barricaded, with a generation for standby power supply. Besides the fire and rescue teams, motor and pedal boats from the tourism department, 108 ambulance services and swimmers will be present at the venue to keep tabs on safety situation. The TTD has provided small boats (theppalu).

2,000 idols in Kadapa

Special Correspondnet from Kadapa adds: Nearly 2,000 Ganesh idols were put up in Kadapa district including 350 in Kadapa.

At the Vinayaka Chavithi celebrations at Seven Roads junction here, young boys and girls recited Bhagawad Gita slokas and performed cultural programmes. The children A.S. Bharadwaja Sarma, N. Raghavendra Sarma, K. Sai Amarnath Reddy, T. Sasidhar Reddy, Haritha and Swathi recited Bhagawad Gita slokas drawing applause from the people. Annamacharya keerthanas and patriotic songs were also rendered. Pandit Naganjeya Sarma who performed Vinayaka vratham there, blessed the children.

In the night, orchestra and dance programmes were organised and patriotic songs and those favouring a united State were also sung.

Priests performed pooja in the Ganesh pandals and organisers urged the Lord to bless Sonia Gandhi and KSR with sane thinking. .

Several persons donated Ganesh idols for installation in pandals put up in different places in Kadapa. K. Samarnatha Reddy, who donated the idol at R.K. Nagar here, called upon youth to agitate for a united State.

About 66 Ganesh idols were put up at the main centres in Rajampet. Big idols were put up on Railway Station road, near LIC office, railway station, Saraswathipuram and Mannur. People visited the pandals and paid reverence to the deities. Police permitted cultural programmes, Harikatha, bhajans and dance programmes till 10 p.m.

Cheer in Chittoor

Staff Reporter from Chittoor adds: Cheerful mood prevailed in Chittoor after the 42 days of strikes, protests, rallies and fasts. The Chittoor Congress MLA, CK Babu, donated as many as 40 giant idols of Lord Vinayaka to various youth groups in the town and outskirts, inaugurating the pandals from Monday night till Tuesday evening. The utsav committee chalked out plan for massive show of Nimajjan on the fifth day at various local tanks at the town outskirts.

Meanwhile, as part of the second-day of the 21-day annual brahmotsavams, the presiding Lord Vinayaka at Kanipakkam temple near Chittoor was processioned through the temple streets in a grand manner on Tuesday evening. Srikalahasti temple devasthanam authorities presented the traditional offerings to Lord Vinayaka here.

Source: The Hindu, September 11, 2013