- The Thathayagunta Gangamma temple, situated in the heart of the temple city of Tirupati, celebrates the annual folk festival ‘Ganga Jatara’.
- It is for the first time in the history of the centuries-old temple that the annual folk festival was postponed due to the elections.
- The folk festival is meant to appease the ‘Grama Devatha’ (village deity).
- The nine-day event comprises devotees donning various guises, smearing colours all over their bodies, and staging processions on the streets around the temple.
- Women carrying the statuettes of ‘Nava Durgas’ accompanied the entourage, adding spiritual fervour to the procession.
- The Goddess is revered as the younger sister of Lord Venkateswara, and the natives of Tirupati, believe that She is the bestower of fortunes and conduct this annual festival.
Dig Deeper: Get an overview of popular temple festivals of South India.
