Naidu to offer silk ‘vastram’ at Srikalahastheeswara temple

Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu will present a silk ‘vastram’ on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government to Srikalahastheeswara Swamy temple at Srikalahasti in Tirupati district on February 25, marking the annual Brahmotsavam.

Mr. Naidu will be the first A.P. Chief Minister to personally carry the ritual gift and walk in a ceremonial procession to the Shiva temple to present the clothing. The tradition was used to be carried out either by a senior official of the Endowments Department or a Cabinet Minister in the past.

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The annual festival will be held from February 21 to March 6, which coincides with the ‘Maha Sivaratri’ event falling on February 26. After the ‘Lingodbhavam’ observed in the early hours of February 27, local residents of Srikalahasti constituency will be allowed free darshan into the temple. This decision had been announced recently by the Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, following request from the local legislator Bojjala Venkata Sudheer Reddy.

Confirming Mr. Naidu’s visit, Mr. Sudheer Reddy also announced to extend invitation to the Chief Ministers of neighbouring States such Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. This is the first time such an invitation has been extended.

“We are also trying for an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to extend an invitation to them. We may most probably visit New Delhi on February 11th,” Mr. Sudheer Reddy told The Hindu.

Meanwhile, Srikalahasti is getting a facelift for the event, as floral decoration and electrical illumination are taken up by expert craftsmen from New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Arrangements are made to install decorative arches and aesthetic infrastructure on a permanent footing, instead of inviting tenders every year for the purpose, thus cutting down on expenditure.

“Plans are also afoot to develop the Swarnamukhi riverfront with ghats, where religious and eye-catching events on the lines of Varanasi’s ‘Ganga Aarti’ will be introduced,” Mr. Reddy said.