AP to celebrate Ramanavami in Vontimitta, not Bhadrachalam

Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will attend the celestial wedding of Lord Srirama on Sriramanavami on March 28 and present silk vastram and “mutyala thalambralu” (Pearls) on behalf of the government as per the tradition followed since 1956.

However, there will be a change of venue. This time, the celebrations will be held in the 450-year-old Sri Kodandarama temple in Vontimitta of Kadapa district almost 564 km away from Bhadrachalam.

The government decided to perform the celestial wedding at Vontimitta temple after Bhadrachalam became a part of Telangana following bifurcation of the state last year.
While Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will be carrying the offerings to the Lord on behalf of the people of his state in Bhadrachalam, Naidu was forced to scout for a suitable temple. After a thorough search, the department of endowments zeroed in on Vontimitta, which is now being spruced up to host the annual event. Vontimitta is 25 km from Kadapa town under the Rajampet Assembly segment.
One will not find an idol of Lord Hanuman along with the main deities in the sanctum sanctorum which is very rare and the Seeta Rama kalyanam in this temple is held in the night, while it is performed during the day elsewhere in the country.  Meanwhile, Uttara Andhra Sadhu Santh Organisation has filed a PIL in the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad questioning the unilateral decision of the AP government in selecting Vontimitta, and for not considering the Ramateertham temple in Nallamarla mandal of Vizianagaram district.

In addition, the plans of the Kadapa district administration to expand the temple periphery hit a road block. Their move to evacuate all the 85 residences located in the south of the temple has found stiff resistance.