Locals smearing charcoal, kumkum and limestone all over their bodies and dressed in unique costumes would have raised many an eyebrow elsewhere, but not in Tirupati during the month of May.
Come peak summer, it is the time for the annual folk festival ‘Ganga Jatara’ observed at the ancient temple of Thathayagunta Gangamma temple located in the heart of the city.
The traditional festival is observed with great reverence by the native residents of Tirupati, who converge at their hometown for this event, wherever they are settled across the globe. According to the folklore, the goddess is worshipped as the younger sister of Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala.
The story behind the custom
The age-old practice of donning ‘Vesham’ (dressing up in different guises) is rooted in ancient mythology linked to this temple. Gangamma lived in this region centuries ago when a local chieftain (Palegadu) had the habit of molesting women. When Gangamma questioned him, he outraged her modesty. As she took a vow to kill him, the chieftain went into hiding, fearing a threat to his life. In a bid to lure him out of his den, she went out in different costumes and slayed him when he turned up, thus becoming a goddess.
It is a practice for the male devotees to don a woman’s guise on the festival’s final day. While smearing various colours on the body is part of a ritual, they are materials with coolant properties that offer solace during the peak summer.
Bhumana offers ‘Saarey’
On Wednesday, MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy offered ‘Saarey’, a collection of auspicious materials like turmeric, kumkum and sari, to the Goddess on the first day of the festival. Accompanied by his family members, the legislator walked all the way from his residence to the temple, covering a distance of 3 km.
Similarly, Superintendent of Police P. Parameswara Reddy offered ‘Saarey’ at the temple of Vesalamma, another folk goddess of Tirupati. In fact, the scorching summer is when folk festivals are observed across the Rayalaseema region.
