The mother goddess taken out in a flower-bedecked vehicle as part of Dasara festivities in Ongole on Saturday.

Ongole, October 14, 2013: Religious fervour marked the traditional ‘Kalaram’ processions taken out from two temples dedicated to the mother goddess as part of the Dasara festivities here.

Continuing the tradition, devotees held the ''Kalaram” processions first from the Ankathammathalli temple near the Yennuga chettu (a tree resembling the Elephant leg) in a grand manner in honour of the mother goddess, who according to legends, annihilated buffalo-headed demon Mahishasura. The second procession was taken out from the Narasimhaswamy temple to propitiate the goddess of wealth. Devotees vied with one another to have a glimpse of the mother goddess in the flower-bedecked vehicle.

All ammavari temples in the city, including the Rajarajeswari shrine in the Lawyerpet Saibaba temple, Durgadevi temple in Balajiraopeta, Mahishasuramardhini temple in Chennakesavapeta, Mahalakshmi temple near Kothapatnam bus stand and Rajarajeswari temple in Seetaramapuram were agog with religious activity.

The mother goddess was decorated as Maha Durga on the auspicious Ashtami thithi on Saturday. Devotees from far and near visited Kumaragiri in Tripurantakam, the abode of Tripurantaka deva, with Goddess Tripurandaridevi, which is considered the Eastern gateway to the Srisailam temple.

Source: The Hindu, October 14, 2013