Remembering Sabari:Tribal people taking part in Sabari Smruthi Yatra celebrations at Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple at Bhadrachalam, in Khammam district on Friday.

Bhadrachalam, October 20, 2013: Bhadrachalam played host to a mega spiritual congregation of tribal people christened Sabari Smruthi Yatra, a unique tribal fete, on Friday.

The unique religious event was organised by the authorities of the historical Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam in memory of Sabari, a notable character in the great Indian epic Ramayana, the pious tribal woman known for her unswerving devotion to Lord Rama.

Hundreds of tribal people, including Adivasis of the primitive Konda Reddi tribal community, from across the Bhadrachalam division took part in the day-long festivities held coinciding with Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti celebrations in the temple town. A host of spiritual, devotional and cultural programmes marked the event held in tune with the tribal traditions. Tribal people from various parts of the Bhadrachalam agency were brought to the temple town in special buses on Thursday night and provided accommodation at the temple choultries free of cost.

Tribal people in their traditional attire offered special pujas to the temple deity with a wide array of traditional flowers and fruits brought by them from the forest areas. A host of special religious rituals were organised at Chitrakuta Mandapam. The ITDA, Bhadrachalam, Project Officer G Veerapandian, Bhadrachalam Sub-Collector Narayana Bharath Gupta, the temple executive officer M Raghunath and others were present.

Procession

The tribal artistes took out a religious procession titled “Giri Pradakshina” in the temple town. The participants carried a huge portrait depicting Sabari offering a fruit to Lord Rama, a distinguished episode of the epic Ramayana, during the procession. The tribal artistes performed Kommu Koya and other traditional dances showcasing the distinctive cultural traditions of Adivasis and the glorious heritage of Bhadradri temple.

The temple officials distributed prasadam to the participants later in the evening. They announced that the Sabari Smruti Yatra festivities will be organised once in a year henceforth.

Source: The Hindu, October 20, 2013